Harimau Malaya beats Kyrgyzstan 3-4 in dramatic comeback

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia orchestrated a historic and sensational comeback, securing a remarkable 4-3 victory against Kyrgyzstan in their inaugural Group D match during the second round of the World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

In an action packed match at the Bukit Jalil National stadium, Malaysia - aiming to advance into the third qualifying round for the first time ever - initially fell behind by 1-3 before successfully rallied to score three crucial goals in the second half for the win.

Bernama reported that the Harima Malaya squad, under the leadership of Kim Pan Gon, kicked off the match strong taking the lead as early as the seventh minute via defender Dion Cools after securing a header in a corner kick from Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi.

Kyrgyzstan seemed somewhat sluggish from the start managed to grab an equaliser in the 42nd minute through defender Kairat Zhyrgalbek, who finished a rebound from Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed’s shot.

Just two minutes later, striker Ernist Batyrkanov put ‘The White Falcons’ squad ahead when shot beating Ahmad Syihan after taking advantage Cools’ mistake in clearing the ball from Erzhan Tokotaev’s long-range delivery.

Tokotaev performed brilliantly denying Malaysia's chance to equalize early in the second half after he saved two consecutive attempts from close range by Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim and Darren Lok in the 51st minute.

Malaysia came under more pressure as Kyrgyzstan extended their lead to 3-1 through substitute player Kai Merk, who easily tapped the ball into the net in the 57th minute after receiving a short pass from Erbol Atabaev.

Pan Gon made changes by bringing in Endrick Dos Santos, Paulo Josue, and Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid in an effort to change the pace of the game and the score.

The strategy paid off as there was a change in the movement of the national team's attacks, which looked fresher before leveling the score after Khristiian Brauzman inadvertently put the ball into his own net while trying to clear Arif Aiman's cross in the 72nd minute.

Cools provided relief to the national team once again by heading in Arif Aiman's corner kick to make it 3-3 in the 77th minute.

The National Stadium was roaring with excitement as supporters cheered when Mohamad Faisal, who received a pass from Arif Aiman, did not hesitate to unleash a close-range shot to score the winning goal in injury time.

This is Malaysia's first victory over Kyrgyzstan in two meetings after losing 0-1 in an international friendly in Melaka in 2018.

The success also sees Pan Gon's charges gaining the necessary motivation for the second encounter against Taiwan in Taipei next Tuesday.

Malaysia currently stands at the top of Group D with three points, while another group match between Oman and Taiwan is currently underway.