An international football friendly match was staged with two Asian teams, Syria and Malaysia. After the full-time competition, the two teams shook hands with a score of 2:2. In the 78th minute, Malaysia showed tenacity and equalized the score. This resilience is something that domestic football lacks, while also adding another team to our rivals across Asia
Despite being ranked only 23rd in Asia, Malaysia has become a rookie in Asian football. In the first two rounds of the World Preliminary Tournament, the Asian team won two consecutive victories and topped the group with 6 points, becoming the dark horse in the Asian region. At the same time, the Syrian team is also a highly competitive team, defeating the Chinese men's football team many times, showing strong competitive strength.
Against the Syrian team, the Malaysian team was undaunted and decisively sent players to attack. In the 39th minute, Asiman broke the deadlock to give his team a 1-0 lead and go into the break with a one-goal advantage. At the start of the second half, the Syrian team launched a fierce attack, and in the 70th minute, Sabagh scored a goal to equalize the score. In the 74th minute, Hasar scored another goal for the Syrian team, quickly overtaking the score to 2:1.
Just when fans thought Malaysia were going to lose the game, the up-and-coming Asian team showed their strength. In the 78th minute, Paul stepped up and scored a goal to level the score to 2-2, triggering a celebration of the players in the team. In the final moments, Malaysia drew with Syria and maintained a four-game unbeaten streak, adding confidence to the upcoming Asian Cup journey.
In the Asian Cup, Malaysia were in a group with South Korea, Jordan and Bahrain. Despite the strength of South Korea's team, the other three teams are expected to qualify, including Malaysia. If they can put in a good performance, the Southeast Asian side could even make it to the round of 16 or the last eight.
Syria have a relatively modest group stage, where they will face a weaker India, while their other two opponents are Australia and Uzbekistan, both of whom have the quality to qualify for the last eight of the Asian Cup.
In any case, the rise of Malaysian football has put pressure on the national team. After all, the current national team doesn't have much chance of winning against Malaysia. Ahead of the Asian Cup, we suffered back-to-back defeats, losing to Hong Kong, China, and also losing to Oman. This inevitably affected the team's self-confidence.