MUSCAT: Oman suffered a 2-0 defeat against Malaysia in the opening match of Group E at the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers. The victory meant three-time runners-up Malaysia managed to secure three crucial winning points in the opener while junior Red Warriors missed the opportunity to commence with a strong start.
At the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Malaysian defender Moses Raj put his team in the lead in the 31st minute. Oman's players worked hard to score the equaliser in the remaining minutes of the first half but it ended with Malaysian leading by 1-0. Malaysia’s junior star Mohammed Haikel doubled the lead from a penalty shootout in the 66th minute to make it 2-0 before Majid al Farsi reduced the gap to one goal as he netted the first goal from penalty shootout to end the match at 2-1 for Malaysia.
The game started with both teams seeking a win but it was the Malaysian side that created continuous attacks in the first half. Half an hour after several attacks, Malaysian players managed to break the deadlock as Moses Raj received a perfect crossball from Mohammed Haikel and he benefited from the defending mistake to score the opening goal in the 31st minute. Oman’s attackers worked hard to return to the game and to score the equaliser. Faisal was very close to scoring as he entered the box but his ball was saved by Malaysian goalie Mohammed Ameen in the dying minutes of the first half.
In the second half, Oman head coach Ahmed al Alawi entered with a different style as Oman's players pressed very hard towards the Malaysian side. Faisal al Hadidi was the active man in the front side but his attempts were blocked and prevented by the strong Malaysian defending line beside the top performance of the Malaysian goalkeeper Ameen. In the 65th minute, the referee Venkatesh Ramachandran decided for a penalty after Haikel fell after a tough interaction with Abdullah al Mamari and Adnan al Mushaifri. Mohammed Haikel converted the penalty into a goal in the 66th minute to extend the lead to 2-0. The response of Omani players was more after the goal as they tried to reduce the scoring gap. The referee of the match Ramachandran announced another penalty spot for Oman and it was converted to a goal by Mahid al Farsi in the 88th minute. The referee announced seven minutes as additional time but it was not enough to score the equaliser as the game ended for Malaysia by 2-1.
Oman will meet Sri Lanka on Wednesday while Malaysia will take on North Korea on Monday.
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