{
  "id": 6101695,
  "title": "Never-give-up attitude seals Malaysia spot in Under-20 Asian Cup",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/never-give-up-attitude-seals-malaysia-spot-in-under-20-asian-cup",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T04:31:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2026/09/1527427/never-give-attitude-seals-malaysia-spot-under-20-asian-cup"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kuala Lumpur – The tenacity of Malaysia's Under-20 football squad played a crucial role in securing their spot in the final round of the Asian Cup, according to the country's Technical Director of the National Football Development Programme, Datuk Ong Kim Swee. Ong praised the commitment, sacrifice, and teamwork of the young players and their coaching staff, led by Shukor Adan, as instrumental in Malaysia's qualification. He noted that the team's perseverance paid off after they concluded their Group H campaign with a 2-1 win against Laos in Vientiane, marking their first points since drawing against Indonesia and Australia. Although the match against the bottom-ranked Laos did not yield additional points due to the AFC's decision, Malaysia still managed to secure a position among the top seven finishers, thus earning their place in the finals in China next year. The victory was a testament to the players' and coaching staff's resilience, demonstrating their ability to fight until the very end. The success of the team is expected to provide a motivating factor for Malaysia as they prepare to face other Asian teams from March 24 to April 10, culminating in the Under-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan later that year.",
  "summary": "Kuala Lumpur A never-give-up mentality was one of the keys to the success of the country's Under-20 squad in booking a ticket to the final round of the Asian Cup in China next year.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "World number one shuttler An seals third straight China Masters title ahead of Asian Games defence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/world-number-one-shuttler-an-seals-third-straight-china-masters-title",
        "published": "2026-09-07T06:19:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}