SINGAPORE: TEN-man Malaysia failed to get the needed win as they were held 0-0 by Myanmar in their opening AFF Cup Group B match at Jalan Besar Stadium today.
The result meant Malaysia could face a tough task of reaching the semi-finals.
The signs were already there, that Malaysia would struggle when Gary Steven Robbat failed to deal with his emotions by getting sent off for a second yellow card in the 30th minute.
Malaysia played well in patches with Afif Amirudin heading wide in the 32nd minute after Amri Yahyah's goal was ruled offside after six minutes.
Mahali Jasuli came close to scoring in the first half of stoppage time but his free kick was superbly blocked by Myanmar keeper Thina Si Thu.
Despite playing with only 10 players, Malaysia were a better team after the breather.
They had Myanmar in their half for long periods only to be disappointed by poor decision making.
Malaysia had a strong penalty claim in the 54th minute when S. Kunanlan was pushed inside Myanmar's box but referee Kurbanov Charymurat waved play on.