SHAH ALAM: Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid netted a brace to give Malaysia a comfortable 3-0 win over the Philippines in their opening Group J match of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 qualifying rounds at the Shah Alam Stadium on Friday night.
Playing in front of 7,606 spectators, including thousands of Ultras Malaya, the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) forward controlled Muhammad Syahmi Safari’s
low cross, beat a defender and
then fired home in the fourth minute.
The 19-year-old striker doubled his tally in the 31st minute when he pounced on a chaos in the visitor’s box to slot home past hapless goalkeeper Michael Asong.
Substitute Mohamad Faisal Halim completed the rout in the 82nd minute when he set off on a good run to bamboozle a defender and the goalkeeper before slotting home.
The Philippines failed to muster a single shot throughout the 90 minutes.
Malaysia could have scored two more goals before the break but captain Muhammad Safawi Rasid’s corner hit the woodwork while Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh failed to get the better of Asong.
National head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee was delighted with the win but disappointed with his team’s finishing.
“It’s a good win. We got the three points and that’s very important. Of course, it’s also frustrating that we didn’t score more goals with all the chances we created,” he said.
The Philippines coach, Salvacion Salvador Alberto Bayonets graciously accepted the defeat.
“It was a tough match. They (Malaysia) wanted to win it, but we fought very hard. We never gave up and I’m happy with my players,” he said. – Bernama
