M’sia kick off AFC U-19 qualifiers in style by beating Timor Leste 3-1

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Under-19 squad kicked off their campaign at the AFC 2018 Under19 Qualifiers in style by beating Timor Leste 3-1 in their first match at the Paju Stadium,South Korea yesterday.

The squad coached by Bojan Hodak, however, had to wait till the second half to find the target since the first half ended goalless although the boys managed to create a number of chances.

Bojan’s boys came out of the dressing room with renewed vigour and aggression, forcing Timor Leste to back pedal and it was through one similar attack that saw Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak breaking the deadlock by beating Frangenio Da Cruz in the 53rd minute for the opening goal.

Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat made it 2-0 in the 68th minute before Muhammad Zhafir Md Yusof ensured all three points with the third goal in the 77th minute.

Timor Leste’s solitary goal was scored by Filomeno Junior Da Costa well into added injury time.

Malaysia who are drawn in Group F are scheduled to meet Brunei on November 4, Indonesia on November 6 and host South Korea in their final group match on November 8.

The AFC 2018 Under-19 Qualifiers that features 16 teams will determine the teams that will qualify for the championship that will be hosted by Indonesia next year.

Indonesia as the host will earn an automatic spot.

The top four teams in the AFC 2018 championship in Indonesia will be selected by FIFA to play in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2019. – Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s hopes of finishing at the top of the Women’s Asia Cup Group A campaign ended after a 0-2 loss to India at the Kawasaki Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan yesterday.

Needing a win against India to keep their hopes of a top spot alive, the Malaysian girls took the fight to the Indian side which is ranked sixth in the world, and held on to a goalless draw in the first and second quarters.

However, India struck a crucial blow with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter through lethal striker Vandana Katariya in the 54th minute before Gurjit Kaur converted a penalty corner strike to make it 2-0 a minute later and push Malaysia to third spot.

Head coach Muhammad Dharma Raj Abdullah was however, satisfied with the performance of his charges who had shown a marked improvement in the tournament.

“We played well .... our performance was the best since 2016. We had five penalty corners compared to India’s three and we created numerous chances but just could not convert them into goals,” he said through a WhatsApp message yesterday.

India emerged as Group A winners followed by China while Singapore finished fourth.

India beat M’sia 2-0 in Women’s Asia Cup