Relieved: Malaysia players acknowledging the fans after beating Thailand 1-0 in the AFF Mitsubishi Cup semi-final first-leg match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: It’s too close for comfort as Malaysia will only take a one-goal lead heading into the lion’s den in Thailand for the return semi-final leg of the AFF Mitsubishi Cup on Tuesday.
An early strike by birthday boy Faisal Halim gave Malaysia a 1-0 win over Thailand in the first leg semi-final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night and handed the six-time champions their first defeat in the tournament.
The Harimau Malaysia side under Kim Pan-gon did not wait long to find the all-important goal when agile striker Faisal, who celebrated his 25th birthday last night, finished off V. Ruventhiran’s headed assist in the 11th minute to take his goal tally to four in the competition.
Thailand tried their best to find the equaliser but were constantly frustrated by the solid defensive line led by Brendan Gan.
The national team, roared on by loud support from the home supporters, had the best chance to increase their lead in the 28th minute but Quentin Cheng’s effort went just wide off the crossbar.
Leading striker Teerasil Dangda had looked to have bagged his sixth goal for Thailand just two minutes after the break but his powerful header shook the goal post with Malaysian goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohd already beaten.
Malaysia too thought they had scored their second goal in the 55th minute after Dominic Tan headed home via Lee Tuck’s free-kick.
But the celebrations were short-lived as the goal was later disallowed by South Korean referee Kim Dae-ong, who made the decision against Malaysia on the basis that a Thai player was fouled.
The Thais attacked aggressively but Malaysia continued to absorb strong pressure from their opponents with equal determination, and one must thank goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan for thwarting several dangerous attempts.
Thailand also had a late penalty claim denied in the 84th minute as Malaysia hung on to hand the visitors their first defeat in the AFF championship since 2016.
It was virtually the same Harimau Malaya side that featured in the 4-1 win over Singapore earlier in the week with Pan-gon making only one change in the midfield.
Lee Tuck was in the starting 11 last night in place of Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi while Darren Lok continued to lead the attack.
The unpredictable local weather did little to dampen the spirits of the Malaysian fans as they turned up early in the afternoon.
There was a sea of black and yellow as the stands were quickly filled up after the gates opened at 4pm.
The excitement only intensified as the Ultra Malaya fans group started their chanting to the beat of drums.
The 80,000-capacity stadium was reduced by 21,000 seats due to the installation of a stage for Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou’s concert on Jan 15 but a sell-out crowd of 59,000 was equally impressive as they kept the electrifying atmosphere alive.
