Malaysia’s miserable run at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 came to a crashing halt on Sunday as they were dismantled 6-1 by a rampant Saudi Arabia side at Indonesia Arena, Jakarta.
Despite Malaysia showing early signs of life with a long-range effort from Muhammad Faris, the West Asian side quickly took control of the tempo. The defensive cracks in the Malaysian setup were exposed as early as the fourth minute when Fahad Rudayni danced past Khairul Effendy and Danial Dain, nutmegging keeper Syawal Sabaruddin for the opener.
The lead doubled just three minutes later. An unmarked Eihab Mohamed ghosted into the box to tap home a cross from Mohammed Alaqeeli. By the 12th minute, the game was effectively over as Fahad Al Johani launched a solo burst from the halfway line, beating Syawal with a ferocious strike to make it 3-0.
Malaysia had a golden opportunity to stop the rot when Saad Sani was teed up by Awalludin Nawi, but with the goal gaping, the effort was sent high into the stands—a moment that summed up Malaysia’s frustrating tournament.
The night belonged to Eihab Mohamed, who proved to be a constant thorn in the Malaysian side. He bagged his second in the 16th minute with a precise finish into the bottom corner, ensuring the Saudis went into the interval with a comfortable four-goal cushion.
Eihab wasted no time after the restart, completing his hat-trick in the 23rd minute by pouncing on a loose ball and clinicaly dispatching it from the right flank.
Malaysia attempted to salvage some pride in the closing stages. Khairul Effendy made a spirited solo run, but substitute keeper Abdulmohsen Ahmed denied him with a sharp save.
The Saudis added a sixth in the 35th minute when Alaqeeli rounded second-choice keeper Muhammad Syaifuddin to slot home. Malaysia finally found the back of the net in the dying minutes through a close-range tap-in by Awalludin Nawi, but it was too little, too late.
The result leaves the Harimau Malaya rooted to the bottom of Group D, exiting the tournament with three straight defeats and plenty of questions to answer.
With the group stage concluded, Malaysia finishes in 4th place with zero points, while Saudi Arabia takes 3rd. The heavyweights, Afghanistan and Iran, move forward to the knockout rounds.
Credit Photo : AFC
