KUALA LUMPUR: The Harimau Muda continued their winning momentum after taming the Philippines 4-0 in the second Group H match of the 2024 under-23 (U-23) Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Chonburi Stadium in Thailand today.
The victory by the national U-23 squad coached by E. Elavarasan brightened Malaysia’s chances of qualifying for the U-23 Asian Cup for the second time in a row.
In today’s clash, Elavarasan made six changes to his starting line-up, including dropping two foreign-based players – Nooa Laine and Luqman Hakim Shamsudin – after beating Bangladesh 2-0 in the opening match on Wednesday (Sept 6).
Malaysia took a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes as team captain Muhammad Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi opened the scoring in just 27 seconds following Fergus Tierney’s cross from the right, while striker T. Saravanan doubled the lead with a right-footed shot to complete Luqman Hakim’s cross from the left side, six minutes later.
They further piled the pressure on the Philippines with defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar firing in a beautiful long-range shot to beat goalkeeper Dimitri Macapagal.
Taking a 3-0 lead into the break, Malaysia came out confident and dominant in the second half, and Saravanan scored his second goal in the 62nd minute following Fergus’ pass in the penalty box.
The victory saw Malaysia lead Group H with six points while Thailand, who will play their second match against Bangladesh tonight, are in second place with three points.
Only the group champions along with the four best runners-up will qualify for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar which also offers a slot for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Malaysia will meet Thailand in the final Group H fixture at the same venue on Tuesday (Sept 12).-Bernama
