Football
ESPN staff 8y

Christie double against Laos helps Malaysia win first international of 2015

Malaysia finally won their first senior international of 2015 with a 3-1 victory over Laos in a friendly in Bangkok on Thursday night.

The confidence-boosting result came as the Malaysians prepare for Tuesday's AFC 2018 World Cup qualifier against Timor Leste in Dili under interim coach Ong Kim Swee.

After it was 0-0 at halftime, Malaysia scored twice in three second half minutes to grab control of the game against the 181st ranked Laotians.

Felda United winger Christie Jayaseelan struck five minutes after halftime to put Malaysia ahead before Pahang forward Azamuddin Akil doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute.

Steve Darby's Laos set up a nervous finish when S. Khantavong scored from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute to make it 2-1 before Malaysia missed a penalty. But the visitors made sure of the result when Christie grabbed his second goal in added time to secure a long overdue victory.

It was Malaysia's first match since being sanctioned by FIFA this week for the crowd trouble that saw their home World Cup qualifier abandoned in the 88th minute against Saudi Arabia on Sept. 8. Fans fired flares onto the pitch with the Saudis leading 2-1, but FIFA awarded a 3-0 result to the visitors and ordered that Malaysia's next home World Cup qualifier played behind closed doors.

On Sept. 3, Malaysia suffered a record 10-0 defeat to United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, a result that saw coach Dollah Salleh hand in his resignation.

Their FIFA ranking fell by two spots in 171st last week after their recent poor results.

"It was a great result for the players which will no doubt restore some confidence in the whole team," Malaysia assistant coach Brad Maloney told ESPN FC. 

"Christie worked very hard so it was great to see him rewarded with two goals on his national team recall."

Maloney added that centre-back Fadhli Shas picked up an ankle injury so his condition will be monitored in the lead up to the Timor Leste game.

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