Joy and despair: Bahrain's players celebrate while Malaysians were left disappointed after the Asian Cup Group E match at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.- KARIM JAAFAR / AFP)
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's hopes of making it out of the group stage are as good as over in the Asian Cup.
A stoppage-time goal broke Harimau Malaya's strong resolve as they lost 0-1 to Bahrain in the second Group E match of the Asian Cup at the Jassim Hamad Stadium on Saturday (Jan 20).
The side led by South Korean Kim Pan-gon produced a defensive masterclass led by Buriram United centreback Dion Cools but it all ended in vain as they continued their winless run in the group.
Dion was in his element as he won 10 duels, made six recoveries and 13 clearances to keep the Middle East side at bay for most of the match.
But Bahraini winger Ali Madan was unstoppable as he broke the solid defense to score the winner in the 96th minute injury time to give the Dilmun Warriors their first win in the group.
While Bahrain celebrated, the Malaysians slumped on the field in sheer disappointment as they had given a better account of themselves but it wasn't enough.
Before the game against Bahrain, Malaysia had played poorly to lose 0-4 to Jordan on Jan 16.
Malaysia will next face tournament favourites South Korea at the Jassim Hamad Stadium on Jan 25.
With two defeats, it's hard for Malaysia to win a spot in the last 16 unless they beat the mighty South Korea by a big margin.
