MALAYSIA will go all out to continue its sensational run when facing 80th ranked team in the world, Oman, in the third match Group D in the second round of the World Cup 2026 /Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers in Muscat, Thursday night (Friday, 2am Malaysia time).
After upsetting Kyrgyzstan 4-3 and defeating Taiwan 1-0 last year, a win or at least a draw against the Red Warriors will ensure Malaysia remains the leader of Group D with three games remaining.
Malaysia, ranked 132nd, now has six points, followed by second-placed Oman who share three points with Kyrgyzstan in third place, while Taiwan is at the bottom with no points.
Thus, one point in Muscat is enough to ensure that the Harimau Malaya squad under coach Kim Pan Gon (pix) remains on the right track to create history by bringing Malaysia to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time.
It will also ease the pressure and put the team in a more comfortable position when it is scheduled to visit the same opponent at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on March 26.
However, the clash at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat will first provide a great challenge to Pan Gon’s men who lack competitive game minutes compared to the Omani players as the domestic league will only start in May.
Malaysia also received an early blow when they left for Muscat without team captain Matthew Davies and Junior Eldstal due to injuries, but Pan Gon has a diverse selection with 24 players in the squad this time, including 18 players from the Asian Cup 2023 squad in Qatar, in January.
Pan Gon also listed the four main players of the national Under-23 (U-23) squad, namely the two midfielders Muhammad Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and Nooa Laine and the two defenders Muhammad Azam Azmi Murad and Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar.
Based on the record of the last three meetings, Malaysia won once after defeating Oman 2-0 at the 2000 Pestabola Merdeka tournament before losing 0-3 and 0-6 in international friendlies at the opponents’ grounds in 2010 and 2015.
The action against Malaysia this time is the first task of Oman’s new head coach from the Czech Republic, Jaroslav Silhavy, who replaced Branko Ivankovic of Croatia following the team’s unsatisfactory performance in the 2023 Asian Cup campaign.
Before that, in the 2026 World Cup / 2027 Asian Cup Qualifying campaign, Oman under the guidance of Ivankovic started brilliantly by beating Taiwan 3-0 but lost 0-1 to Kyrgyzstan.
In the 2023 Asian Cup, Oman failed to win after losing to Saudi Arabia 1-2, followed by a 0-0 draw with Thailand and tied 1-1 against Kyrgyzstan thus ending Group F in third position and failing to reach the last 16.
The result in Qatar saw Silhavy making some changes in the team this time including recalling four players namely strikers Abdulaziz al Maqbali and Hatim al Roshdi as well as defender Mohammed al Musallami and midfielder Mohammed al Ghafri.
Silhavy also does not have to worry about the fitness level of his players as the domestic league competition there is underway, thus adding to Oman’s advantage in addition to the factor of playing at home and the tactical mystery of the game under the new manager.
However, Malaysia’s shortcomings do not give any guarantee to Oman, even a surprise may happen as Pan Gon’s men did displayed high fighting spirit when tying the Asian giants, South Korea 3-3 in the 2023 Asian Cup group action.
After two matches against Oman, Malaysia will meet Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 and finish group D against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and confirm a place in the 2027 Asian Cup, while the bottom two teams will play in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers. -Bernama
