Malaysia Close AFC Competition With Defeat To Japan

31 Mac, 2015



PETALING JAYA: Host Malaysia bowed out of the AFC Under-23 Championship qualifying tournament after losing 1-0 to fancied Japan at the Shah Alam Stadium.

Striker Yuya Kubo scored the solitary goal in the 40th minute to enable Japan to finish as Group I winners with the maximum nine points and an automatic slot in the Finals in Qatar next year.

Only the top 10 group winners plus the five second best-placed runners-up qualify for the Finals. From there, only the top three will play in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier, Vietnam thrashed Macau 7-0 to take the runners-up slot with six points. Malaysia finished third place with three points while winless Macau propped up the table with no points.

Coach Razip Ismail’s defensive game plan worked well although his team were pinned in their own half for most of the game.

The Malaysians conceded seven corners while goalkeeper Mohd Farhan Abu Bakar had to make at least half a dozen saves in the first half.

The Malaysians packed their defence and even had a couple of scoring chances, with Mohd Farhan Roslan and skipper Mohd Nazirul Naim testing Japanese goalkeeper Niekawa Ayumi in the 36th and 43rd minutes respectively.

Razip’s men had virtually kissed goodbye their hopes of playing in next year’s Finals in Qatar after losing 2-1 to Vietnam in their opening match last Friday.

Malaysia had only a mathematical chance of qualifying after beating Macau 2-0 on Sunday. But even that evaporated into thin air last night.

Sumber - Eric Samuel, Star Online www.thestar.com.my