KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia overcame the dreadful artificial pitch and poor refereeing to edge Laos 1-0 in their opening Group J match of the AFC Under-23 qualifiers at the MFF Football Centre in Mongolia on Monday.
Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar was the toast of Young Tigers when he scored the only goal of the match in the 68th minute. The striker connected a Quentin Cheng cross to earn Malaysia a win.
The Malaysians suffered a setback when captain Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi was booked in the third minute by Tajikistan referee Sadullo Gulmurodi for a late tackle. After the yellow card, Brad Maloney's side played a cautious game, although they dominated ball possession.
The national youth team had four attempts in the first half, but the score stood goalless until the half-time whistle.
Referee Gulmurodi was guilty of not booking several Laos players for rough play on many occasions.
However, the breakthrough for Malaysia arrived when coach Brad Maloney introduced Penang wingback Quentin in the 66th minute.
The lanky defender needed only two minutes to stamp his mark as he launched an inviting cross for Nur Azfar to slot the ball past Laos goalkeeper Solasak Thivalong.
The Malaysians pressed forward for a second goal but were let down by poor finishing.
With the win, Malaysia lead the group with three points after favourites Thailand were held 1-1 by Mongolia in an earlier match.
Malaysia will take on Mongolia on Thursday, followed by Thailand on Sunday.