Malaysia lost 0-2 to the Philippines at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on 15/7. This defeat to a lower-ranked opponent puts Malaysia at risk of early elimination. In group A, they will also face hosts Indonesia, and only the three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals.

The New Straits Times (NST) ran the headline, "Malaysia taught a lesson by Filipinos". The newspaper commented that the "young tigers" were expected to win easily, but were subdued in the first half by two goals from 18-year-old Out Bisong.

Malaysia's U-23 team (in yellow) lost 0-2 to the Philippines in their first group A match of the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 15/7/2025. Photo: MalaysiaNT

"The team performed poorly. Coach Nafuzi Zain had a terrible start in his first time leading the team," the NST article stated. "Despite controlling 70% of possession, Malaysia was weak in attack, missing a series of chances and paying the price."

Malaysia had 21 shots with 5 on target, while the Philippines had 7 shots with 3 on target. These superior statistics led The Star to call it a "surprise defeat".

Bernama praised the Philippines for their resilient and disciplined defense. "A rough start," the article stated. "Goalkeeper Zulhilmi Sharani’s commendable performance helped us avoid a heavier defeat."

Malaysia's U-23 team (in yellow) lost 0-2 to the Philippines in their first group A match of the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 15/7/2025. Photo: MalaysiaNT

Malaysia's U-23 team (in yellow) lost 0-2 to the Philippines in their first group A match of the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 15/7/2025. Photo: MalaysiaNT

After the match, coach Nafuzi Zain admitted that Malaysia's defense showed vulnerability and early anxiety, which allowed the Philippines to score. He said his team tried to fight back hoping for a draw, but things became more difficult after conceding the first goal, coupled with a lack of luck.

"I apologize for not being able to win," coach Zain said at the post-match press conference. "We will improve our defense for the next matches, although we know it will be difficult."

Defender Ubaidullah Shamsul believed that Malaysia's formation was too wide, preventing them from retreating quickly enough to defend. Learning from this experience, Shamsul hopes to play better against Brunei on 18/7 and Indonesia on 21/7.

Malaysia's policy of naturalizing mixed-heritage players has so far only been implemented at the senior national team level, with the immediate result being a 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the second match of group F of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. However, this policy has not yet reached the youth level. Relying entirely on domestic talent development, Malaysia has revealed many problems and fallen behind direct rivals like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.

At the U-22 and U-23 Southeast Asian levels, Malaysian football has not reached the top three in the past eight years. Their last achievement was a silver medal at the 2017 SEA Games on home soil.

Trung Thu