Bangladesh began their FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Malaysia in Jakarta on Friday, undone by two first-half goals and another after the break.
Malaysia controlled the opening stages with faster, more organised attacking football, while Bangladesh struggled to settle at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
The Malaysian pressure almost produced an early goal in the fourth minute when a shot from a corner headed towards the Bangladesh goal. Mehedi Hasan Srabon managed to get a touch and send the ball away.
Malaysia continued to attack and finally broke through in the 18th minute. Arif Aiman collected a pass from midfield, entered the box and beat Srabon with a composed finish to put Malaysia ahead.
Bangladesh then conceded again in the 38th minute after a mistake from Shakil Ahad Topu. A misplaced pass allowed Arif Aiman to take possession, and the Malaysian forward finished the chance to score his second goal and make it 2-0.
Bangladesh went into half-time two goals behind after struggling to match Malaysia’s pace and attacking movement.
The second half brought some improvement from Bangladesh, who created several opportunities, but they could not find the finishing touch needed to get back into the match.
Malaysia instead extended their lead in the 52nd minute. A ball from the right reached Bergson da Silva, who controlled it with his left foot before shooting with his right. The effort lacked power but still beat Srabon to make it 3-0.
Bangladesh came close to reducing the deficit in the 76th minute when Hamza Choudhury broke into the box after receiving a pass from a teammate. With only the Malaysian goalkeeper between him and goal, Hamza’s first shot was saved.
The Bangladesh midfielder then had another attempt, but the goalkeeper turned it behind for a corner.
Those chances summed up Bangladesh’s afternoon. They found openings after the interval but could not convert them, while Malaysia punished Bangladesh’s defensive mistakes at the other end.
