Malaysia Beats Kyrgyzstan In Its 1st World Cup Qualifiers Match Despite Low Fan Turnout
Harimau Malaya beat Kyrgyzstan 4-3 in front of 17,142 spectators.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 17 Nov 2023, 01:15 PM
The Malaysian football team managed to beat Kyrgyzstan in their first Group D World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match despite a low turnout from Harimau Malaya fans
According to the Football Association of Malaysia's Facebook page, only 17,142 tickets out of 80,000 were sold.
The low turnout didn't deter the Malaysian team from successfully routing Kyrgyzstan 4-3 in a thrilling match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Malaysia, which sits 137th in the FIFA World rankings, led 97th-placed Kyrgyzstan through centreback Dion Cools' sixth-minute goal.
It was an exciting match that saw the Malaysian team fight back from two goals down
After Malaysia's first goal, the team was 3-1 down by the 56th minute through goals from Kyrgyzstan's Zhyrgalbek Kayrat, Ernist Batyrkanov, and Kai Merk.
Through several clever substitutions and changes in tactics from Harimau Malaya coach Kim Pan-gon, Malaysia managed to equalise through an own goal from Kyrgyzstan's centreback Khristiyan Brauzman, as well as a second goal from Cools.
Winger Faisal Halim rescued the Malaysian team through a last-minute winner
It was in the 93rd minute when Malaysia finally clinched the winner after Arif Aiman Hanapi passed the ball to Halim, who cooly finished the game.
Arif played a pivotal role in the match because he assisted for all four goals.
Malaysia now sits in second place in Group D, behind group leader Oman, and will be facing Taiwan on 21 November.
Malaysian supporters claimed ticket prices are too costly
According to New Straits Times, many Malaysian supporters claimed that ticket prices to catch the football games are expensive.
Currently, the ticket prices are as follows:
- Open Seats: RM40 (Adults) and RM5 (Children between 6 to 12)
- Grandstand: RM60
- Premium: RM80
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had previously requested the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to reduce ticket prices.
