BANGKOK -- Malaysia's perfect start to the ASEAN Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 -- came to an end on Saturday evening after they suffered a 2-0 loss away to the tournament's record seven-time champions Thailand.
In a curiously disjointed affair at Rajamangala Stadium that lacked any rhythm or flow for large parts, it was Thailand who dominated possession and rarely looked at any risk.
It did take them until the 37th minute to open the scoring when Yotsakorn Burapha sent Malaysia goalkeeper Azri Ghani the wrong way from the spot, after a crucial VAR review saw the hosts awarded a penalty.
Four minutes before the hour mark, the War Elephants duly doubled their advantage when a brilliant one-touch passing move -- one of the few bits of real quality on the night -- saw Teerasak Poeiphimai picked out completely unmarked inside the area to coolly finish into the back of the net.
Malaysia might have set up a grandstand finish in the 78th minute when a speculative effort from the edge of the box by captain Paulo Josué looked headed for the bottom corner, only for Thailand custodian Kampol Pathomakkakul to push it around the post with a smart save down low.
And when Kampol made another fine stop with three minutes remaining, spectacularly parrying another Malaysia effort from distance -- this time by Daryl Sham -- it was enough to ensure his side would be continuing their fine start to the tournament, following on from their previous 5-0 rout of Laos.
Thailand can now seal their place in the semifinals with victory over Philippines on Tuesday, while Malaysia -- who have a bye in the next round of fixtures -- will have to wait until Aug. 8 to take on the Filipinos -- which could potentially be a do-or-die clash for a place in the last four between the duo.
More to follow...
