Football

So far, so good for Malaysia

AFTER their first match, Malaysia have built an "advantage" in the AFC Asian Cup Under-23 qualifiers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

In beating Laos 1-0 on Monday, Brad Maloney's boys topped Group J.

Thailand and Mongolia, the other two teams, have only one point each after they played to a 1-1 draw.

This will set Malaysia in the mood for their next two fixtures — against Mongolia and Thailand. Only the group winners will advance to the finals in Uzbekistan next year.

However, Malaysia will have to brush up their game, as their performance against lowly Laos was far from convincing.

Malaysia laboured on a bumpy artificial pitch, and managed to get the winner through Azfar Fikri after a superb cross from substitute Quentin Cheng.

Maloney said: "As we expected, it was a tough game from Laos. There weren't many chances, and we were lucky to get there at the end.

"We made some substitutions and their contributions were good. The assist for the goal came from one of the subs, so it's nice to see that when you make these changes. They do have a big influence on the game."

Overall, the Malaysian side produced a competent performance with the back three of Azrin Afiq, Harith Haiqal and Zikri Khalili in commanding form while the pairing of Nik Akif Syahiran and Mukhairi Ajmal provided strength and creativity in midfield.

However, it was a game to forget for "star boy" Luqman Hakim who was constantly shackled by two Laotians as he struggled to make his mark.

Luqman, who plays for KV Kortrijk in the Belgium league, will have another chance to prove he is the real deal when Malaysia meet Mongolia tomorrow.

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