DOHA: The Negaraku was played yesterday on the Asian stage for the first time in 17 years, thanks to Harimau Malaya qualifying for the continental showpiece,
About 200 Malaysian fans were at the Al Janoub Stadium to sing the national anthem as the Jalur Gemilang was raised just before Harimau Malaya took on Jordan.
The Negaraku will be played two more times in Doha - when Malaysia meet Bahrain on Jan 20 and South Korea on Jan 25.
The last time the national team played in the Asian Cup was in 2007 when Malaysia hosted the event. And the last time Malaysia qualified on merit was 43 years ago.