Irfan and Dominic bag the headlines in draw against Jordan

With their backs against the wall after an opening day defeat, Malaysia U23 knew they had to get a result against Jordan U23 on Saturday and they did. If not for the post being in the way on two occasions, Malaysia could well have earned their first win in the AFC U23 Championship.

Goal runs through the team and picks out the star performers from the 1-1 draw.

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Haziq Nadzli 7

Just like in the SEA Games, Haziq was called into the fray and hardly disappoint. Can't be faulted for the Jordan goal, Haziq read the game very well and had to come off his line to make decisive saves to keep Malaysia in the hunt.

Dominic Tan 8

No one will be asking why Dominic is in the starting line-up after the performance he put out against Jordan. Strong in the challenges and kept on making the right decisions, Dominic put his body on the line for Malaysia despite continually needing treatment in the second half.

Irfan Zakaria 8

Another one who produced a magnificent effort in holding the fort for Malaysia. Good anticipation saw him winning most if not all of his challenges. Was beaten once throughout the match but recovered well to make a stunning challenge to win the ball inside his own penalty box.

Adam Nor Azlin 7

After an error-strewn opening match, like his fellow defenders, Adam also stood up for the count against Jordan. The timing of his tackles were back to his usual his standards and helped stopped Jordan in their tracks.

Matt Davies 6

Struggled in the early part of the first half with the pace of the Jordan winger but showed his class to improve on that as the game went on. A steady influence on the right side of defence.

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Nor Azam Azih 6

Kept the ball well at times but need to show more strength when being challenged. The 180 minutes has shown that match officials isin't particularly inclined to give soft free kicks and Azam need to stay on his feet more.

Danial Amier 6

Not one for the spectacular, Danial kept his game simple and provided a good foil alongside Azam. It was his wonderful pass to Akhyar Rashid that created Malaysia's equaliser.

Syazwan Andik 6

Another one who performance improved compared to the first game. Was more defensively aware in this match against Jordan and provided another outlet on the left when required.

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Akhyar Rashid 7

Would have gotten higher points had it not been his mistake that allowed Jordan to take the lead. However at the other end of the pitch, Akhyar was simply sensational. Not afraid to hold the ball and his dribbling abilities had Jordan in sixes and sevens.

Jafri Firdaus Chew 5

On a day of generally good performances, Jafri had another outing to forget. Outmuscled easily at times, he squandered two good goal-scoring opportunities when he didn't connect cleanly with the ball. 

Safawi Rashid 8

Again showed what a brilliant player he can be when he wants to. This match also saw the other side of Safawi, as the provider. His incisive pass to Akhyar in the second half was arguably the pass of the match, although unfortunate not to be converted into a goal.

Syamer Kutty Abba 5

Came on for Danial and was a bundle of nerves, reading the bounce of the ball wrongly on a couple of occasions. Slow to warm up to the pace of the game, Syamer always struggle when coming into matches as a substitute.

Tommy Mawat, Syazwan Zaipol N/A