DOHA, Jan 16 — Malaysia got off to a rocky start in their first appearance at the Asian Cup in 17 years as they fell 0-4 to Jordan, with former Kedah Darul Aman FC star Mahmoud Almardi emerging as the hero of The Chivalrous Ones in the Group E action at the Al Janoub Stadium, here, last night (early morning in Malaysia).
The failure of Kim Pan Gon’s men to adapt to the intensity of the game saw them punished as they fell behind 0-2 just after 18 minutes of play.
Jordan, led by Hussein Ammouta, opened the scoring through Almardi, who unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty box in the 12th minute, before midfielder Mousa Altamari converted a penalty six minutes later.
The penalty was awarded by referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan after reviewing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) footage on the sideline, following Matthew Davies’ foul on Yazan Alnaimat.
Jordan missed out on widening the gap when Altamari’s goal in the 25th minute was disallowed by VAR, but the disappointment was short lived, as Almardi, who currently plays for Al Hussein SC, easily tapped in a cross from Alnaimat with goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed already beaten.
The Harimau Malaya’s hope to narrow the deficit fell short when midfielder Stuart Wilkin’s left-footed strike from outside the penalty box slightly missed its mark in first-half injury time, leaving the score at 0-3 going into the break.
Pan Gon made several substitutions in the second half, including bringing on naturalised players Paulo Josue and Mohamadou Sumareh, as well as Muhammad Safawi Rasid and Muhammad Akhyar Rashid.
Although the changes saw the national team’s attack become more effective, it still failed to produce a goal, with several interesting attempts saved by Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
As Malaysia aggressively pursued a goal, Jordan rubbed salt into the wound of the national side when Altamari lobbed the ball beyond the reach of Ahmad Syihan, confirming the victory for the team ranked 87th in the world.
Malaysia next face Bahrain on Saturday at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium before concluding the group stage against two-time champions South Korea on January 25.
This is Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit in 1976 in Iran, 1980 in Kuwait, and as joint hosts in 2007, but have never progressed beyond the group stage.
Meanwhile, South Korea recorded a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in another Group E action at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang In scoring a brace to help his nation open their title bid.
Lee broke the 1-1 deadlock in the 56th minute and then netted an insurance marker a dozen minutes later for his sixth goal in the past six international matches, reported Yonhap news agency.
Midfielder Hwang In Beom scored the first goal for 23rd-ranked South Korea in the 38th minute, before Abdullah Al Hashash answered for 86th-ranked Bahrain six minutes after the restart.
Coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, South Korea will next face 87th-ranked Jordan on Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
South Korea will try to win their first Asian Cup since 1960.
— Bernama
