Malaysia’s women’s national team fell 2–0 to Azerbaijan in their Tri-Nation FIFA Tier 1 match on Saturday at the National Stadium, Dhaka.
The clash saw Malaysia put up a spirited display, but early goals from the European side proved too much to overturn.
Azerbaijan fielded Aytaj in goal, with Sevinj wearing the captain’s armband and Esra leading the attacking line.
Malaysia, meanwhile, started with Azurin guarding the posts, Nurhadfina at left-back and Steffi Sarge marshalling the starting XI.
The match burst into life quickly as Azerbaijan opened the scoring in just the 3rd minute.
Player No. 20, Bozdag Peritan, pounced inside the Malaysian box to fire home a sharp finish, giving the Land of Fire a perfect start.
Malaysia attempted to respond through forward Ainsyah, who worked tirelessly to find the equaliser, but the Azeri defence held firm.
Azerbaijan stretched their lead in the 24th minute when Mirazliyeva Nigar unleashed a powerful long-range strike from outside the penalty area — a shot that left Malaysia trailing 0–2.
Despite several promising attacks, Malaysia couldn’t break through before halftime, heading into the interval two goals down.
The second half saw Malaysia increase the tempo in search of their first goal.
Azerbaijan threatened multiple times, but substitute goalkeeper Ezza Ashikin stood tall with several excellent saves to keep Malaysia in the game.
Malaysia came close through player No. 7, Jaciah Jumilis, who led a dangerous counterattack, but the Azeri backline managed to block her effort.
Azerbaijan nearly made it 3–0 in the 83rd minute when Acar Yeliz missed a golden opportunity right in front of goal.
Despite a more energetic second-half performance, Malaysia were unable to find the net as Azerbaijan held on for a 2–0 victory.
Credit Photo : FAM
