Brave Malaysia outclassed by Saudi Arabia in final AFC World Cup qualifier
Saudi Arabia
Malaysia
Malaysia ended their qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup with a dogged 2-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Thursday night.
At times, it has been a fraught journey but Ong Kim Swee's first official match in charge since being appointed as permanent head coach in January was an encouraging one in the final second round qualifier.
It was a solid defensive performance from the Tigers who handed Australian-born Kelantan midfielder Brendan Gan his senior debut and frustrated the Group A leaders until five minutes into the second half.
The respectable result comes six months after Malaysia were humbled 10-0 by United Arab Emirates under former head coach Dollah Salleh in their previous trip to the Gulf region.
In the opening period, Abdullah Al Dossary went close after 19 minutes, his low shot through a crowded penalty area drawing a fine reaction save from Khairul Fahmi in the Malaysian goal. The goalkeeper got down well just before the break to parry a fierce shot from Abdulmalek Al Khaibri and then watched in relief as Omar Hawsawi blasted the rebound high and wide from close range.
Frustrations were growing at the King Abdullah Sports City but five minutes after the restart Mohammed Al Sahlawi grabbed his 13th goal of qualification. Salman Al-Faraj slipped the ball through the backline from just outside the area leaving the Al Nassr striker to slip the ball home from near the penalty spot.
Bert Van Marwijk's men sealed the win 16 minutes from time through Taisir Al-Jassim who shot past Khairul Fahmi from a tight angle, beating the Kelantan custodian at the near post.
It was a hard-working and disciplined performance from Malaysia who will hold on to fourth place in the group if Timor Leste fail to defeat Palestine on Tuesday.
Should third-placed Palestine avoid defeat at home, Ong and his men will progress to the third round of qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup without needing to negotiate a playoff.
Malaysia will face Macau in a friendly in Ong's hometown of Malacca on Tuesday, giving him a chance to further access his revamped squad.
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