He said the Asean All-Stars defied the odds to emerge the winners despite United fielding their first team early on in the post-season friendly.

“What did we learn from them? The importance of working as a team,” Anwar said at the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Office here today.

The Asean All-Stars stunned United in Kuala Lumpur with a 1-0 victory at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night.

The Asean team broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute thanks to Myanmar’s Maung Maung Lwin, who fired the ball in after being put through on goal by Australia’s Adrian Segecic.

Anwar also expressed gratitude to everyone involved in organising the 46th Asean Summit, which saw Malaysia host leaders from Southeast Asia, the Gulf nations, and China.

“I saw how they started their work early in the morning. They were amazing and persistent in their work ethic.

“I saw the lines of police officers involved in welcoming the arrival of VIPs at the airport, the customs and immigration staff, the drivers and the hotel staff,” Anwar said.

He also emphasised the importance of staying humble and building friendships, citing Asean’s diverse group of 10 nations.

“We have small countries like Laos, large nations like Indonesia, and wealthy ones like Singapore. Through our teamwork, hopefully we will see Timor-Leste becoming an Asean member by October,” he said.

He likewise highlighted the agreement among Asean member states to present a united front on decisions related to the US’s unilateral tariff measures.

Speaking at a press conference after the 46th Asean Summit on Tuesday, he said there was a need to protect the interests of the 660 million people across the region, and that any decision should not come at the expense of other countries.

On April 3, US president Donald Trump announced a series of new tariffs that directly increased import duties on Southeast Asian imports, hitting Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam the hardest.