Adam extols Malaysia's progress in closing the gap

Malaysia came within a whisker of upsetting the apple cart and sending out a big warning to the rest of Asia but ultimately came up short in the 1-2 defeat to United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tan Cheng Hoe's boys more than held their own against the 2019 Asian Cup semi-finalist and if they had found more composure in their finishing, would have been celebrating a famous victory.

But such are the fine margins in football that if you don't take your chances, it only put the believe back into the opponent and UAE roared back into contention in the second half. Centre back Adam Nor Azlin was up close with the two goals that Malaysia conceded, in-line with Farizal Marlias when Ali Mabkhout nodded in…