Bangladesh’s Nine-Goal Defeat Baffles Paulo As Malaysia Miss FIFA Asean Cup Final
BANDUNG, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- National forward Paulo Josue said it was hard to believe Bangladesh had conceded nine goals to Indonesia, a result that saw the hosts advance to the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final at Harimau Malaya’s (Malaysia’s national football team) expense.
Malaysia thrashed Singapore 6-0 in their final Division 1 Group A match at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium here last night, but Indonesia’s 9-2 victory over Bangladesh at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta proved decisive.
Both Malaysia and Indonesia finished on seven points with an identical goal difference of plus nine, but the Garuda emerged as Group A champions on goals scored, having netted 11 times in three matches, two more than Malaysia.
“It is very tough to believe that a team could concede nine goals in a tournament like this, but it is what it is,” said Josue, who came on in the 68th minute and scored eight minutes later at the post-match press conference after Malaysia’s 6-0 win over Singapore, here.
Josue said Malaysia had achieved what they set out to do against Singapore, with the 6-0 triumph marking Harimau Malaya’s biggest win over the Causeway rivals since 1978.
“Today was the match where we needed to score and win, and we scored a lot of goals, but unfortunately it was not enough. We need to keep our heads up, face the next game and try to finish as strongly as we can,” said the 37-year-old Kuala Lumpur City FC player.
Malaysia had earlier opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh before drawing 0-0 with Indonesia.
Despite missing out on the final, Josue said morale in the camp remained high after a group campaign in which Malaysia kept two clean sheets and scored nine goals.
“So far, I think the performance has been very good. Our key players are performing well, and they are the references for the team right now. We need to be proud of what we did against Singapore. The last time Malaysia beat them like this was perhaps 40 or 50 years ago.
“We know the direction we are heading in is the one we should always target. I hope the boys understand what the coach has planned for the next match, and we keep going,” he said.
Malaysia opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh before holding hosts Indonesia to a goalless draw, followed by an emphatic victory over Singapore.
They will face Group B runners-up in the third-place playoff while Indonesia meet Thailand in the final at GBK Stadium on Monday, respectively.
-- BERNAMA
