KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia kick-started their preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup on a positive note after they claimed their second straight success over Turkmenistan with a 1-0 win, thanks to a wonderful Akhyar Rashid goal in the first half at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium today.
The win proved that last year's 3-1 win over the same opponent in an Asian Cup qualifier was no fluke.
Kim Pan Gon opted to give international debuts to naturalised players Paulo Josue and Endrick dos Santos, partnering Brendan Gan in midfield with captain Dion Cools starting in the heart of the defence.
Turkmenistan had the first chances of the match, but goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi reacted quickly to field efforts from Ruslan Mingazov and Altymrat Annadurdyyev in the opening minutes.
Josue produced the first meaningful effort on target for the home side in the 23rd minute. Five minutes later, Harimau Malaya took the lead when Akhyar drove into the box before curling the ball into the net past Rasul Charyev.
Midfielder Nooa Laine and Feroz Baharudin earned their first caps in the second half.
Malaysia will take on Hong Kong in another friendly on Tuesday at the same venue.
