KUALA LUMPUR: Naturalised striker Paulo Josue has described the two Group D matches in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Oman this month as very important in determining the fate of the Harimau Malaya squad.
The Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC player said victories in both encounters against the 80th-ranked team in the world could mark a historic milestone by propelling Malaysia into the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time.
He said that in the third round of qualification, Malaysia will take on challenges and gain new experiences as they compete with the best Asian teams hunting for the 2026 World Cup slots.
“These are the most important matches for Malaysia in an attempt to make history because if we get three points away against Oman, we will be just one step away from the third round of World Cup qualifiers, and if they come here and we beat them once more, I think we already qualify for the next round.
“Then we are going to face all the tough teams in Asia like South Korea, Japan, and others. So I think that’s the most important thing now for Malaysia — to be part of this kind of tournament, to be there to face such tough matches always,” said the 35-year-old Brazilian-born player when met yesterday.
At the same time, Josue hopes that all the players can give full focus to face Oman, drawing inspiration from Malaysia’s resilient performance when they drew 3-3 with South Korea in the 2023 Asian Cup group match in Qatar last January.
Malaysia, ranked 132nd in the world, is scheduled to meet Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, on March 22 (2 am Malaysian time) and in a home fixture at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on March 26.
After playing two matches against Oman, Kim Pan Gon’s squad is scheduled to meet Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 before playing Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11 in the last match.
Malaysia now leads Group D with six points, followed by second-placed Oman who shares three points with Kyrgyzstan in third place, while Taiwan is at the bottom with no points.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the third round and confirm their place in the 2027 Asian Cup, while the bottom two teams will play in the third round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers. — BERNAMA
