Indonesia edge Malaysia

The Malaysia national futsal team were defeated 3-2 by Indonesia in their AFF HDBank Futsal Championship 2019 Group B opener at the Phu Tho Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

In a group where every goal scored is crucial, Indonesia and Malaysia both came out in full force.

Despite going down by two goals in the first half, Malaysia bounced back in stunning fashion with two quick strikes by Mohd Ridzwan Bakri and Saiful Nizam Ali in the 27th minute.

But it was the Indonesians who had the last laugh as Syahidansyah Lubis raced down the left flank to slot in a low shot in the 32nd minute and help his side clinch an important victory.

Following his side’s hard-fought win, Indonesia head coach Kensuke Takahashi said, “The game could have gone either way as expected between these two close rivals. We scored two good goals and a lapse in concentration saw us conceding as well. But it is three important points today.”

In Group B’s other match, Vietnam claimed their first-ever win over Australia courtesy of goals from Nguyen Man Dinh and Nguyen Minh Tri.