Malaysia’s hope of making the semifinals of the menās football event at the SEA Games 2023 took a hit earlier this evening when they stumbled to a 2-0 loss to Thailand in a Group B tie yesterdayĀ at the Prince Stadium.
With defending champions Vietnam in the group, both teams knew that taking the full points in this tie would go a long way to ensuring their passage to the semi-finals of the biennial meet.
And after a long drawn first half with both teams creating a flurry of chances, the deadlock was finally broken in the second half through substitutes Anan Yodsangwal in the 73rd minute and Yotsakorn Burapha in the 84th minute.
With the win, Thailand have moved up to second in the standings behind leaders Vietnam with both teams on the same six points from two matches played.
The Malaysians slipped down to third with three points from two games.
In the meantime, Laos and Singapore battled to a scoreless draw in the other match in the group to confirm their exit from the tournament this year.
