DOHA: Malaysia got off to a rocky start in their first appearance at the Asian Cup in 17 years, as they fell 0-3 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.
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 for 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 Jan 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.
Get the latest news and information on the 2023 Asian Cup at asiancup.bernama.com.
Line-up:
Malaysia:
Matthew Davies (captain), Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, Stuart Wilkin, Darren Lok, Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, Junior Eldstal, Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, Muhammad Afiq Fazail, Dion Cools, La’Vere Corbin-Ong, Romel Morales.
Reserves: Muhammad Azri Abdul Ghani, Shahrul Saad, Daniel Ting, Muhammad Syahmi Safari, Dominic Tan, Muhammad Safawi Rasid, Mohamadou Sumareh, Muhammad Syamer Kutty Abba, Paulo Josue, Brendan Gan, Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid, Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman.
Jordan:
Yazeed Abulaila, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Alarab, Noor Al-Deen Al Rawabdeh, Ali Olwan, Mousa Altamari, Yazan Alnaimat, Mahmoud Almardi, Salem Al Ajalin, Nizar Alrashdan, Ehsan Haddad (captain).
Reserves: Mohammad Abuhasheesh, Bara Marie, Mohammad Abu Zariq, Abdallah Alfakhori, Raja’El Ayed, Feras Shilbaya, Saleh Ratib, Anas Bani-Yassen, Hamza Aldaradreh, Ahmad Juaidi, Anas Hammad, Fadi Awad.
Team standings
Group A
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Qatar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group B
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Syria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| India | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Group C
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| UAE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Palestine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Group D
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Iraq | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Vietnam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Group E
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Jordan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| South Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| MALAYSIA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group F
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thailand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16. – BERNAMA
