Pakistan steamroll Malaysia in first Junior Asia Cup defeat
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia were outplayed 5-2 by Pakistan in Group B of the Junior Asia Cup in Inner Mongolia, China on Tuesday.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia suffered a 5-2 defeat to Pakistan in Group B of the Junior Asia Cup on Tuesday, Inner Mongolia, China. The match began when Safwan Salihe put Malaysia ahead in the ninth minute. However, Pakistan quickly responded, scoring five goals within nine minutes, with Nadeem Khan, Rana Abdul Rana Sami, Waleed Rana, and Hamza Ali finding the net.
G. Dheeressh managed to reduce the gap for Malaysia in the 54th minute with a penalty corner goal. This marked Malaysia's first loss in the tournament after previously defeating Kazakhstan 8-0 and Bangladesh 4-2 in earlier matches. Nor Saiful Zaini's team will complete their group fixtures against China on Wednesday.
Pakistan's consecutive wins secured their place in the semi-finals. Malaysia and China are tied on six points, both having one win and one defeat. Nor Saiful has set his sights on qualifying Malaysia for the semi-finals. The host nation, China, boasts a strong record, having defeated Bangladesh 3-2 and outplayed Kazakhstan 10-2. The Junior Asia Cup involves ten teams, with the top six advancing to the 2027 Junior World Cup.
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