Qatar Malaysia lost 0-4 to Jordan in the first match of Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup on January 15.
Grouped with South Korea, Malaysia and Jordan knew that the match between them would almost decide the chances of both advancing. With 14 players of mixed blood or naturalization, Malaysia were confident of being the first Southeast Asian team to earn points at the 2023 Asian Cup. But conceding consecutive goals early on meant that Kim Pan Gon and his team could not avoid a disastrous defeat in their first return to the Asian Cup in 16 years.
Al Mardi celebrates his double in the 4-0 win over Malaysia at Al Janoub Stadium, Qatar on January 15. Photo: AFC
Jordan was eliminated by Vietnam, a Southeast Asian representative, in the last 16 of the previous Asian Cup. Therefore, coach Lhoussanine Ammouta and his team did not take Malaysia lightly. That seriousness was soon concretized by the goal in the 12th minute, when Mahmoud Al Mardi created a wonderful curling shot to open the score.
Before they could recover from the early goal, Malaysia conceded another goal just five minutes later. Center-back Dion Cools fouled Al Naimat in the penalty area and VAR intervened to award Jordan a penalty. Striker Mousa Al-Tamari, who plays in France, made no mistake to increase the score to 2-0.
The form they showed in 2023, with nine wins in 14 matches, did not make it to the major tournament for Malaysia. They played more and more "frozen" and conceded a third goal in the 32nd minute. Mahmoud Al Mardi escaped down the wing, dribbled past the goalkeeper and finished into a tight angle to give Jordan a 3-0 lead.
Jordan had only won two of their 11 matches before the tournament, having faced many strong teams. Against Malaysia, who were 33 places below them, Ammouta's players had the chance to show off their strength. Taking the initiative to slow down the pace of the game in the second half, Jordan still scored another goal when Al-Tamari completed his double at the end of the match, with a chip over goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi.
Malaysia fought hard in the second half, hitting the target three times but failing to find the consolation goal. Throughout the match, the Southeast Asian representative had more possession than their opponents, but most of the passing was in the middle of the field and outside the penalty area.
With a 0-4 loss, Malaysia's hopes of advancing in Group E are slim. They still have matches against Bahrain on January 20 and South Korea on January 25. Coach Kim Pan Gon and his team must beat Bahrain and get the best possible result against South Korea. Jordan, with three points and a goal difference of +4, will likely only need one point in their remaining two matches to advance as either the group runners-up or the best third-placed team.
Starting lineup
Malaysia: Ahmad Syihan Hazmi, Dion Cools, Junior Eldstal, Matthew Davies, Lawrence Corbin-Ong, Stuart John Wilkin, Muhammad Afiq bin Fazail, Arif Aiman, Morales Ramirez, Deng Lok, Faisal Abdul Halim
Jordan: Yazeed Abu Laila, Ehsan Haddad, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Al-Arab, Salem Al Ajalin, Mahmoud Al-Rashdan, Al Din Rawabda, Mousa Suleiman, Ali Iyad Olwan, Mahmoud Mardi, Yazan Al-Naimat.
Vy Anh
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