Ali Madan’s late winner for Bahrain ensured that Malaysia had no chance of making in out of the group stage.
Going into the game, Malaysia knew they needed to win after Jordan and South Korea played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the day. That draw meant that both Malaysia and Bahrain still had a chance of going through after their defeats in the first match week to Jordan and South Korea respectively.
The game was a cagey affair as both sides squandered goal scoring opportunities. Bahrain were overall the stronger side as they posed more attacking threat with their many crosses into the box just lacking the much needed end product.
As both teams looked to have settled for a draw, Bahrain had a corner in the last minute of injury time. The ball was swung and cleared away but only to as far as Ali Madan at the edge of the box. He lined up the shot as the defenders didn’t want to close him down and the ball settled in the bottom corner after goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi couldn’t fully touch the ball away.
There were scenes of jubilation in the Bahrain camp and scenes of distraught and disappointment in the Malaysian camp.
When the referee blew for the final whistle, all the Malaysian players fell to the floor, knowing that their hard work had been undone in one moment and after 17 years of not making it to the Asian Cup, it would end in the earliest moment possible.
The Malaysian fans however, didn’t stop backing their team. Even though the disappointment was visible, their support was endless.
Malaysia will play their highly anticipated match against South Korea next while Bahrain will look to try and make it out of the group stages against Jordan.
Other posts by Hiresh
