PETALING JAYA: Midfielder Aliff Izwan Yuslan went from hero to zero in a span of minutes as the Chinese Under-23 squad avenged their previous defeat by subduing Malaysia 2-1 in their second football friendly match at the Jinshan Stadium in Shanghai yesterday.
The hosts took the lead as early as the fourth minute through Du Yuesheng’s header before Malaysia levelled in the 35th minute when Aliff pounced on the ball after Syahir Bashah’s attempt hit the crossbar.
But misfortune struck Malaysia as Aliff was shown a second yellow card in the 39th minute and given the marching orders.
China went on to take a 2-1 lead when Tao Qianglong converted a free kick from inside the penalty box at the end of the first half.Malaysia, forced to play with one less player, managed to resist China’s frequent attacks in the second half.
Malaysia could have fallen further behind but goalkeeper Rahadiazli Rahalim brilliantly denied Qianglong’s attempt in front of an open goalmouth in the 72nd minute.
The hosts had lost 0-1 in the first friendly at the same venue last week.
National Under-23 coach Juan Torres Garrido was satisfied with the outcome from the two friendly matches.
“It was a good experience in these two games because we had to face different situations.
“The players gave a satisfactory performance but took some time to adjust in this second match.“After losing one player and playing with 10 men for almost 60 minutes, the players managed to control the situation well. We consider this part of training based on the situation we may face during the Asian Cup Finals later,” he said.
The two friendly matches against the China Under-23 squad are part of Malaysia’s preparations for the final round of the Under-23 Asian Cup Finals in Qatar next April.
In Qatar, the Under-23 squad are drawn in Group D with the 2018 champions Uzbekistan and runners-up Vietnam, and Kuwait.
