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AFC Asian Cup Qualifier: Malaysia Stuns Nepal with 2-0 Victory

7 months ago
Nepal vs Malaysia
Nepal vs Malaysia

Nepal’s third-round AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign got off to a disappointing start with a 2-0 defeat against Malaysia on Tuesday night at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor. After arriving with high spirits following a 1-0 win over Singapore in a friendly, coach Matt Ross and his team struggled against Malaysia’s strong attack. The hosts, ranked 43 places higher in FIFA rankings, took the lead in the 29th minute through Hector Hevel, who marked his debut with a goal. In the second half, Malaysia doubled their advantage with a clever free-kick routine in the 70th minute, finished by experienced defender La’Vere Corbin-Ong.

Hector Hevel
AFC Asian Cup Qualifier – Hector Hevel

Nepal largely played defensively, as Ross had hinted before the match, but Malaysia kept pressing and troubled Nepal’s defense throughout. The visitors had very few chances to attack and couldn’t capitalize when they did. Youngster Rejin Subba made his senior debut for Nepal in this match. This fixture was originally supposed to be Nepal’s home game, but due to the Dasharatha Stadium not meeting international standards, the match was played in Malaysia instead. ANFA has confirmed that the home-away fixtures have been swapped, and Nepal will host Malaysia in November.

Nepal is in Group F alongside Malaysia, Laos, and Vietnam, playing in a double round-robin format. Malaysia now sits atop the group with 3 points, while Nepal will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches against Laos on June 10 and Vietnam on October 9. The return legs will be played in Nepal, with the final group match against Laos scheduled for March 31 next year. In the group’s other fixture, Vietnam thrashed Laos 5-0, making a dominant start to their campaign.

Pralin Dhungana

Pralin Dhungana

Pralin is a Sports Writer here at The Ritible, He writes on Global sports & Local sports coverage.