Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U23 Championship China 2018 will see Malaysia make their debut at the biennial event, with the Young Tigers aiming to put in a strong showing as they mix it with the continent's elite.
While Malaysia did win the U23 titles at the 2009 and 2011 SEA Games, they have previously never played on the continental platform.
The upcoming tournament will therefore be an opportunity for the team to make their mark after finally reaching the Finals, following two previous qualifying campaigns that did not go according to plan.
Ahead of the inaugural edition in 2014, Malaysia came close to qualification but were undone at the final hurdle. Needing a win in the last group game against Myanmar to clinch an automatic spot, Ong Kim Swee's young charges lost 2-1.
A similar story ensued in the subsequent campaign two years later as Malaysia finished third in their group, behind Japan and Vietnam and failed to qualify once again.
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