Malaysia fall short in AFC U-22 qualifiers
Malaysia's bid to automatically qualify for the AFC U-22 Asian Cup was ended on Tuesday with a 2-1 defeat to Myanmar.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Needing a win in their final qualifier to leapfrog the second-placed Burmese and finish in the top two in Group G, Ong Kim Swee's charges found themselves a goal down at the break courtesy of Kaung Si Thu's 34th-minute opener.
The Myanmar forward added a second eight minutes after the break to all but secure his side's qualification, although Harimau Muda managed a late consolation through Sabah prodigy Rozaimi Abdul Rahman - his tenth strike in the qualfiers.
Malaysia have however since lodged an official protest with the Asian Football Confederation regarding the alleged use of overage players by Myanmar. Until the outcome of that protest is know, Myanmar are assured of their place in the tournament alongside Korea Republic, who beat Vietnam 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Park Young-ji and Jeong Jong-hee.
In Group G's other game, Lin Chang-lun grabbed a brace to help Chinese Taipei beat Philippines 2-1.
Over in Group F, China had to settle for second spot after playing out a 1-1 draw with group winners Korea DPR.
Thailand ended their campaign on a high with a 4-0 victory over Hong Kong courtesy of goals from Chitipat Thanklang, Pokklaw Anan, Narubadin Weerawatnodom and Anusak Laosangthai, while third-placed Laos were held to a 3-3 draw by Cambodia.
Naft Tehran midfielder Morteza Pouraliganji netted a 48th-minute equaliser to help Iran to a 1-1 draw against Bahrain, a result that was enough to see them finish a point above second-placed Kuwait, who trounced Maldives 8-0, in Group C.
The group's other game saw Tajikistan beat Qatar 4-2.
Iraq played out a 0-0 draw with United Arab Emirates to ensure they finished top of Group A ahead of their opponents on goal difference, while Oman wrapped up third spot with an impressive 4-0 rout of India.
Elsewhere in the group, Lebanon ensured Turkmenistan ended their campaign pointless with a 4-1 victory at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
In Group B, Saudi Arabia sealed top spot on goal difference after a 2-2 draw against second-placed Syria. Third-placed Kyrgyzstan beat Sri Lanka 5-0 while Palestine won consigned Pakistan to last place in a 1-0 win.
Tuesday's AFC U-22 Asian Cup Qualifying Results
Group A
Turkmenistan 1-4 Lebanon
Oman 4-0 India
United Arab Emirates 0-0 Iraq
Group B
Syria 2-2 Saudi Arabia
Kyrgyzstan 5-0 Sri Lanka
Pakistan 0-1 Palestine
Group C
Tajikistan 4-2 Qatar
Kuwait 8-0 Maldives
Bahrain 1-1 Iran
Group F
Thailand 4-0 Hong Kong
Korea DPR 1-1 China
Laos 3-3 Cambodia
Group G
Chinese Taipei 2-1 Philippines
Korea Republic 2-0 Vietnam
Malaysia 1-2 Myanmar