Malaysia concluded their AFC U-23 Championship’s qualifying campaign by suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat at the hands of Asian giants, Japan.
Razip Ismail’s men went into the game on the back of two dodgy performances against Vietnam and Macau. They suffered a defeat in the first one, before going on to merely defeat Macau by two goals; a result that drew plenty of criticisms from fans.
At the same time, Japan were on absolute fire throughout the tournament, and they definitely went into this game as massive favourites. But it took them some time to get their usual tempo running, with the Young Tigers forming a strong defensive set-up to limit the damage.
Japan though, struggled to manufacture any clear-cut chances until the 19th minute, when Ryota Oshima’s free kick rattled against the bar. 10 minutes later, Farhan Roslan tried breaking the deadlock for Malaysia, but his shot was saved by the Japanese goalkeeper.
In the latter part of the first half, Japan finally got into their strides, though Malaysia were visibly parking the bus at the back, to nullify every single offensive build up from the Samurai Blues. That being said, nothing could prevent Yuya Kubo from handing the away side the lead, as he powered a header into the net to put Japan 1-0 ahead on the 41st minute.
After the break, Malaysia’s tactics became even more visible. They sat deep to contain the Japanese players, while looking to break on a counter attack at every opportunity. That move, allowed Japan plenty of time on the ball, as they patiently worked their way throughout the field, hoping to find an opening.
To their credit, Razip’s men were excellent at the back, though it was a well-known fact that they need a victory in this one, to have any chances of qualifying beyond the group. Their defensive set-up did not do them any favours, and while Japan struggled to find the coveted second goal, they eventually did enough to secure the win, and also qualification into the AFC U-23 Championship.
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