SINGAPORE (27 March 2023) – The Malaysian Under-22 team has been crowned champions of the Merlion Cup 2023 after beating Hong Kong 2-1 in the final last night at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
It was Malaysia’s first-ever Merlion Cup trophy since the tournament’s inception in 1982.
Following a first-half deadlock, Malaysia struck twice in a four-minute blitz – Najmudin Akmal Kamal Akmal (75th minute) and Safwan Mazlan (79th) to take a 2-0 lead.
Lau Ka Kiu then pulled a goal back for Hong Kong in the 80th minute but it failed to prevent the Malaysians from taking the title.
In the meantime, the Cambodian U22 emerged third after beating Singapore 2-1 in the classification match.
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