It was the perfect result for P. Maniam in the opening match of Group J, where the three points and high goal margin was what the team was looking to get from the match, and they did just that. With only the top place in the group guaranteed of a place in the finals next year, it was vital that Malaysia start well.
The Young Tigers started strongly and were already ahead by the seventh minute of the match when Adam Uwais put Malaysia in front. Adam Farhan (16') and Akid Zamri (22', 30') added to the score to make it 4-0 at half time.