Malaysia beaten 2-0 by China after disallowed goal and late red card
Fergus Tierney had a goal overturned by VAR before his dismissal, while Malaysia also saw two first-half penalty appeals rejected.
Two early goals gave China a 2-0 international friendly victory over Malaysia at the Zhaoqing New District Sports Centre Stadium. Malaysia finished with 10 players after Fergus Tierney was sent off in the closing stages.
Wang Yudong opened the scoring after 10 minutes, with Zhang Yuning extending China's lead nine minutes later. The hosts entered the match ranked 96th in the world, compared with Malaysia's 133rd.
Malaysia appealed for penalties before half-time when Dion Cools was brought down and Ramadhan Saifullah fell under a challenge, both inside the area. South Korean referee Ko Hyung Jin turned down both appeals. Tierney then struck from outside the penalty area in the 77th minute, only for VAR to overturn the goal because Safwan Mazlan had committed a foul during the build-up.
Richard Chin was denied by goalkeeper Li Hao, and Paulo Josue failed to convert a chance in the 83rd minute. Tierney received his second booking in the 90th minute for retaliating after Alex Yang fouled him.
Tan Cheng Hoe's squad had undergone several changes before travelling to Guangdong. Johor Darul Ta'zim players, among them Arif Aiman Hanapi, were unavailable because of club scheduling demands. Injuries also sidelined six Selangor players before departure, leading to five replacement call-ups, while Kuching winger Safawi Rasid returned home to deal with family matters.
