DUBAI — Malaysia took all three points in a 1-0 win over Thailand thanks to a Safawi Rasid penalty in the second half in Group G of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 on Tuesday.

The two sides had gone into this game on the back of a winless run stretching back to 2019, and having been knocked out of the reckoning for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification, this match carried the importance of confirming third place for the winners.

Muhammed Akhyar took the first big chance of the game for Malaysia, when he pounced on a poorly cleared ball by Thailand goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom, and dribbled into the area under pressure from the defense and took a shot from a tight angle that was blocked, eventually winning a corner.

Malaysia goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid held his ground minutes later, when he faced a double effort from Thitipan Puangchan and a follow-up minutes later, pulling off a fingertip save in the first and diving down to the other side of the goal for the second as his side held on for the win. — Agencies