The draw at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium left Malaysia in third place in Group A with 4 points, trailing the Philippines by 2 points and Indonesia by 3. This marks the third time Malaysia has failed to progress past the group stage in the 5 editions of the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, having previously exited at the same stage in 2019 and 2022.

Following the disappointing result, the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times (NST) used the evocative term "toothless" in its headline. The term literally refers to the "young tigers" (the nickname of the Malaysian U23 team) lacking teeth, but figuratively describes a weak and powerless team.

Malaysia (in yellow) drew 0-0 with Indonesia in the final Group A match of the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia on Tuesday 21/7/2025. Photo: Hai Tu

Before the draw with Indonesia, Malaysia lost to the Philippines 0-2 and defeated Brunei 7-1. The NST suggested that the Malaysian U23 team could only dominate weaker opponents and showed little against teams of similar or higher skill levels.

"This is not Malaysia's worst performance in the U23 Southeast Asian Championship," the NST article stated. "In 2022, they were eliminated after losing both matches against Laos, following the withdrawals of Myanmar and Indonesia."

Meanwhile, Harian Metro's headline declared "Malaysia packs up early," echoing a similar sentiment expressed by Berita Harian with the phrase "early return home."

"Malaysia fails to reach U23 Southeast Asian Championship semi-finals" was the headline on The Star.

Coach Nafuzi Zain also expressed disappointment with the result but pride in the team's performance against hosts Indonesia. "We put pressure on Indonesia in front of their home fans, but it wasn't easy to create chances," Nafuzi said in the post-match press conference.

Following this tournament, Malaysia will continue preparations for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers in September. They are in Group F with hosts Thailand, Lebanon, and Mongolia. To secure a place in the finals, Malaysia must finish first in the group or be among the four best second-placed teams.

Trung Thu