Malaysia U-22s outmatched in Bangkok

Fresh from securing a convincing 3-0 win over Indonesia, Ong Kim Swee’s boys were brought back down to earth as they were outmatched by the hosts, who were desperate for a win after drawing 1-1 with Mongolia two days ago.

The young Tigers started the match without goalkeeper Ifwat Akmal Che Kassim and forward Syafiq Ahmad due to injuries, and their absences were felt.

The Thais opened their scoring in the 24th minute through captain Chenrop Samphaodi, who was on target again later as he took advantage of Malaysia’s defensive error in the first-half injury time.

After falling behind 2-0, Ong tried to mastermind a comeback by bringing on Akhyar Rashid, who had a positive impact on the team.

However, Thailand weathered Malaysia’s pressure and managed to further increase their lead thanks to substitute Phicha Autra in the 86th minute to secure a 3-0 win.

"We knew Thailand had the quality," Ong said after the game.

"Our boys probably afforded too much respect and room to them in the first half and got carried away.

"We made a lot of mistakes especially in the build-up to their second goal, which definitely killed our hope of coming back."

The defeat wiped out any positive goal difference advantage Malaysia earned from beating Indonesia, who, by the way, thrashed Mongolia 7-0 to bolster their own qualification chances.

Due to the complicated nature of the qualifying campaign following Sri Lanka’s withdrawal from Group A, Malaysia finishing as Group H runners-up might not even be enough for them to book a place in China next year.

Only the 10 group winners and five best runners-up (with the results against bottom-place teams discarded) will qualify for the U-23 Asian Cup.

"As long as we do not lose to Mongolia, we have the chance [to qualify for the finals], but it all depends on the result of the other match [between Indonesia and Thailand]. It is very complicated," Ong added.