PETALING JAYA: Joao Figueiredo etched his name into Malaysian football history as his early strike secured a long-awaited 1-0 win over Palestine - the nation’s first against the West Asian side in 24 years.
The Brazilian-born striker struck just two minutes into the friendly at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Monday (Sept 8), finishing off a low cross from right wingback Quentin Cheng.
In doing so, Figueiredo became only the third Malaysian to score in each of his first three international appearances, following in the footsteps of the late Datuk Mokhtar Dahari in 1972 and Nizaruddin Yusof in 1999.
Palestine nearly found an equaliser in the 32nd minute when Bader Mousa connected with a cross from Tamer Seyam, but goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi pulled off a fine save to preserve Malaysia’s lead.
At the other end, Quentin continued to torment down the right flank, delivering a pinpoint cross for Gabriel Palmero, whose effort was denied by Rami Hamada in the 34th minute.
Malaysia dominated the first half with 55% possession and seven chances created, looking the sharper and more adventurous side.
Head coach Peter Cklamovski adjusted his defence at the start of the second half, replacing Dominic Tan with La’Vere Corbin-Ong, who slotted into a back three alongside Shahrul Saad and Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar.
Both teams exchanged opportunities, with Malaysia carving out three good chances and Palestine threatening from set-pieces, but the hosts held firm to claim a memorable victory.
There was also a debut to savour for Scottish-based wingback Richard Chin, who came on for Quentin in the 78th minute to earn his first Malaysian cap.
The result was Malaysia’s first triumph over Palestine since a thrilling 4-3 win in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers in 2001 under the late Allan Harris.
Hairuddin Omar netted twice that day, with Akmal Rizal Rakhli and Irwan Fadzly Idrus adding the others.
The last meeting between the two sides had been a painful one, a 6-0 defeat in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers back in 2015.
