PETALING JAYA: Malaysia defeated Palestine 1-0 in a friendly match held at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Monday (Sept 8), marking their first victory over the West Asian side in 24 years.
Brazilian-born forward Joao Figueiredo scored the decisive goal just two minutes into the match, converting a low cross from right wingback Quentin Cheng. Figueiredo is now the third Malaysian player to score in his first three international appearances, joining the late Datuk Mokhtar Dahari (1972) and Nizaruddin Yusof (1999).
Palestine came close to equalizing in the 32nd minute with a header from Bader Mousa off a cross by Tamer Seyam, but Malaysian goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi made a crucial save. malaysia responded with an prospect in the 34th minute, as Gabriel Palmero’s attempt was denied by Rami Hamada.
Malaysia controlled possession in the first half, with 55% of the ball and creating seven chances.
A defensive adjustment saw La’Vere Corbin-Ong replace Dominic Tan at the start of the second half, joining Shahrul Saad and Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar in a back three.
Both teams continued to create opportunities, but Malaysia maintained their lead. scottish-based wingback Richard Chin made his debut in the 78th minute, replacing Quentin Cheng to earn his first Malaysian cap.
This win represents Malaysia’s first triumph over Palestine as a 4-3 victory in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers in 2001, a match overseen by the late Allan Harris. Hairuddin Omar scored twice in that game,with Akmal Rizal Rakhli and Irwan Fadzly Idrus also finding the net. The teams’ previous encounter resulted in a 6-0 defeat for Malaysia during the 2018 World cup qualifiers in 2015.