Malaysia had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Timor Leste, after the away side came from behind to score a stoppage time equalizer at the Bukit Jalil Stadium earlier today.
Dollah opted for an attacking side on the day, with Amri Yahya, Indra Putra and Safee Sali starting upfront and despite a shaky start, Malaysia eventually got into their strides.
Timor Leste narrowly missed a great chance to break the deadlock in the first 10 minutes, but that was a wake up call for Malaysia as Safiq Rahim started to exert more influence within the game.
But no clear cut chances were being created, with both sides struggling to break each others’ defence. Predictably, a defensive mistake was required to create the opening for the first goal of the match, with Safee Sali firing from close range to put Malaysia 1-0 ahead.
While the score line remained for the rest of the first half, Timor Leste started piling on the pressure after the break, adopting a much more offensive strategy. That inherently forced Malaysia to play with a structure that was deeper than their strategy in the first half.
Dollah’s men had several chances that could have resulted in them scoring the second goal of the game. But their wasteful finishing seemed to be a niggling issue all night long – also something that eventually came back to bite them.
With less than a minute left on the clock, Timor Leste earned a free kick on the edge of the box, after Diego was fouled by Junior Eldstal. A free kick was curled into the six yard area and Ramon Saro’s header found the back of the net to make the score 1-1 and seal one point from the game.
Dollah’s men were visibly frustrated after the game, but they will be required to move past this as soon as they can, with a clash against Palestine coming up next, this weekend.
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