FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 results: Division 1 of the FIFA ASEAN Cup kicked off with Southeast Asian heavyweights in action. Malaysia faced Bangladesh, and Indonesia took on Singapore.
Malaysia 3-0 Bangladesh
Malaysia swept past Bangladesh in their opening Group A game at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. Harimau Malaya started well under interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe and had an early chance to take the lead.
Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim shot from outside the box, but his effort was well saved by Bangladesh goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon. The former ASEAN champions had the breakthrough in the 18th minute.
Nooa Laine lobbed the ball over the opposition defence to find Arif Aiman, who slotted it into the net to make it 1-0. The Tigers were then caught out playing from the back in the 37th minute, and Malaysia pounced again.
Stuart Wilkin passed the ball for Aiman, who finished for his and his side’s goal of the afternoon. Winger Faisal Hamim had the chance to make it 3-0 just before the break, but his tight effort was kept out by Srabon.
Seven minutes in the second half, and Malaysia did get their third goal. Forward Bergson controlled a cross from La’Vere Corbin-Ong in the box with his back to the goal, before turning and finding the net. Bangladesh did have the chance to get a goal back in the 76th minute.
Talisman Hamza Choudhury was played in on goal but saw his effort saved by Haziq Nadzli, who produced another save from the midfielder during the same play. Malaysia saw Fergus Tierney’s effort come off the crossbar in the 82nd minute, but ensured a comfortable win at the end.
Indonesia 2-0 Singapore
Indonesia registered a massive opening game win over regional rivals Singapore in Group A. Backed by a vibrant home support at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tim Garuda made a quickfire start.
They went ahead in the 13th minute after having the better of early exchanges. Kevin Diks, who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, sent Luke Vickery through on the right side, and his cross was swept in by Ragnar Oratmangoe.
John Herdman’s side nearly doubled their advantage at the end of the first half, but Ole Romeny saw his effort go narrowly wide of the far post. Singapore, who have been on the rise in recent years, came out stronger in the second half. Song Ui- Young saw his long-range effort saved by Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Paes, as the Lions grew in confidence.
But they were dealt two back-to-back blows in a matter of minutes. In the 67th minute, a slick Indonesian move at the edge of the box saw Singapore defender Safuwan Baharudin foul Mitchell Baker. Baharudin was initially shown a yellow card, but it was changed to a red after a VAR review.
The resulting free-kick by Thom Haye was deflected away, but it had struck Song Ui- Young’s hand inside the box and a penalty was awarded. Romeny tucked away the spot kick, sending Izwan Mahbud the wrong way. The scoreline stayed this way until the final whistle, giving Indonesia a perfect start in the new tournament.
This was also a measure of revenge for Tim Garuda, who had finished third behind Singapore in their group in the recently concluded ASEAN Championship. As a result, they missed out on progressing to the knockout stage. For Gavin Lee and his team, this would be a hard result to take.
The Lions are due to play in the Asian Cup next year and are seen as one of the best teams in Southeast Asia. Their next game will be against Bangladesh on Monday, 28 September, while Indonesia will face rivals Malaysia later on the same day.
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