Malaysia took the lead in the 35th minute through Sabah FC player Stuart John Wilkins. What seemed to be a lopsided match then heated up in the second half as both teams did their best to secure victory and grab the full three points.

In the dying minutes of the first half, Malaysia could have gone ahead, but poor finishing at the goal mouth failed to yield any positive results.

Fresh from halftime, Cambodia clawed their way back when Coulibaly Abdel Kader slotted the equaliser in the 52nd minute, which then triggered a change in the tempo of the game.

Buoyed by the support from the home crowd, Cambodia ramped up the game with a second goal when Ty Sa scored in the 60th minute but the Malaysians were not deterred, and Fergus Tierney struck back with the team’s second goal in the 74th minute after sloppy goalkeeping by Cambodia’s Dara Vireak, leaving both teams at 2-2.

Malaysia is in Group A along with defending champions Thailand, Singapore and Timor Leste. Group B comprises Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.