Thailand 0-1 Malaysia: Tigers win at last in Dubai, secures third spot

The much sought after win in the land of United Arab Emirates (UAE) was finally achieved in the final Group G of the joint 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualification second round, a 1-0 win over the War Elephants which seals third spot in the group and with that a spot in the next qualifying group stage that is solely for the Asian Cup.

This final day win gives Harimau Malaya a 100% winning record against the Thais having already beaten them 2-1 in the corresponding fixture way back in 2019 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium which is also Malaysia's fifth overall win in the group to give them a total of 12 points, three less than second place Vietnam.

FAM

In a battle between two sides with collared home kits, it was obvious this was a meeting between two teams aiming to be the next best in Southeast Asia with Vietnam fast disappearing beyond the horizon and unlike what was seen in the previous game against Vietnam, Malaysia are on equal footing with Thailand, if not better.

Changes were rung by Tan Cheng Hoe brought upon by a combination of suspensions to Mohamadou Sumareh, La'Vere Corbin-Ong and Syamer Kutty Abba as well as dire individual performances in the first two matches against UAE and Vietnam with Aiman Arif, Syahmi Safari and Nazmi Faiz taking over those unavailable while Khairulazhan Khalid, Nor Azam Azih and Akhyar Rashid were also given starts.

Chances were few and far in between in the first period with both teams focussing their attacks down the wings, Thailand in particular electing to put pressure on Syahmi in the unfamiliar left back berth, often times finding space behind the Selangor man but just couldn't get their final pass right.

FAM

With Nor Azam back in the base of midfield and Nazmi in front of him, there were more control shown from the boys in yellow and in fact it was the former who produced Malaysia's best effort in the first half with a rasping drive from distance which Chatchai Bootprom had to push over the bar.

Sensing a real opportunity at the break, Cheng Hoe brought on Safawi for the ineffective Arif and Syafiq Ahmad for the lacklustre Brendan Gan, and the response was immediate. Malaysia pushed on with higher intensity and quickly found themselves ahead after just six minutes played in the second half.

FAM

Syafiq and Safawi combined well down the right hand side to send the latter driving into the penalty box before being dragged down by Ernesto to give Malaysia a spot kick. Chatchai did well to guess the right way but still allowed Safawi's ensuing penalty to slip in under him to give Malaysia the lead.

Undeterred, Thailand could have gotten themselvs a quick equaliser just four minutes later when a static Malaysian defence left Thitiphan Puangjan completely free inside the box but the Thai captain saw his header only crashing against the crossbar, much to Khairulazhan's relief.

From that moment on, Malaysia closed shop and defensively more compactly to deny Thailand space. Even after Akira Nishino brought on a raft of midfielders and attackers, the backline still could not be breached and Malaysia hung on for a slim but sweet victory.