Malaysia extended their unbeaten run under head coach Peter Cklamovski, sealing a narrow but historic 1-0 victory over Palestine at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri.
The win marked Malaysia’s first triumph over the “Canaan Lions” since March 2001, breaking a 24-year drought. Palestine, meanwhile, missed the chance to extend their positive record against Harimau Malaya dating back to 2015.
The match came alive almost immediately when Joao Figueiredo struck in just the second minute, sliding the ball past Rami Hamadeh for the opener. In doing so, the Johor Darul Ta’zim striker etched his name in the record books as the first Malaysian player in 24 years to score against Palestine.
Galvanized by the early setback, Palestine pressed for an equalizer. Bader Mousa came closest in the 26th minute, forcing Syihan Hazmi Mohamed into a sharp save from close range. Moments later, Hamadeh kept his side in the contest by denying Gabriel Palmero, who had latched onto a cross from Quentin Cheng.
Cklamovski made tactical adjustments in the second half, bringing on La’Vere Corbin-Ong for Dominic Tan. Shortly after, Arif Aiman Hanapi nearly doubled the lead with a thunderous strike in the 50th minute, but Hamadeh was equal to it.
At the other end, Wessam Abou Ali of Columbus Crew almost found the equalizer, only to be denied by an alert Syihan between the posts.
There was also a milestone moment for Richard Chin, who made his long-awaited debut for Malaysia in the 80th minute, replacing Quentin Cheng.
Palestine continued to mount pressure late on, but Malaysia held firm to preserve their clean sheet and secure a famous victory.
The result keeps Malaysia unbeaten in five matches since Cklamovski took charge, adding momentum to the team’s ongoing rebuild. The victory is also expected to push Malaysia into the top 120 of the FIFA World Rankings, boosting confidence ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers resuming in October.
Credit Photo : FAM
