Malaysia U23 Captain: 'We don't know how to score'

Malaysia - Ảnh 1. — Malaysia U23 captain Ubaidullah Shamsulc (in yellow shirt) criticized his team for not knowing how to score - Photo: FAM

On the evening of September 3, U23 Malaysia unexpectedly lost 0-1 to U23 Lebanon in the first match of Group F of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers.

Speaking after the match, U23 Malaysia captain Ubaidullah Shamsul could not hide his disappointment. He said the team had a good first half, but the final result was disappointing.

"It's disappointing, we played better in the first half, but that's football, the team that scores the goal, wins," Ubaidullah told Makan Bola.

The central defender frankly pointed out that the inherent problem of U23 Malaysia is the finishing and the impasse in finding a way into the opponent's goal. He admitted that this is a problem that has not been solved since the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

"Our problem is still the same as in the recent U23 Southeast Asian tournament, which is not being able to score and not knowing what to do to score goals," said Ubaidullah.

In fact, since the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, U23 Malaysia has only scored in 1/7 recent matches, which was a 7-1 victory over weak opponent Brunei.

The only goal conceded by U23 Malaysia came in the 83rd minute, after Ali El Fadl scored for U23 Lebanon. With this result, the "Malaysian Tigers" no longer have much chance to win a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals in Saudi Arabia.

Because they still have to face a very strong opponent, host U23 Thailand, in the final round of the qualifying round.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups. After the qualifying matches, the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia.