KUALA LUMPUR: Substitute forward Qaseh Riana Dafira Rafiuddin emerged as the hero, striking 10 minutes from time to hand Malaysia a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Syria in their opening Group E match of the Asian Under -17 women's Asian Cup qualifiers at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium on Monday.
Malaysia, coached by Japanese Takayoshi Ishihara, dominated possession and carved out several opportunities, but were repeatedly thwarted by a resolute Syrian backline led by captain Arin Asaad and goalkeeper Media Housain.
However, Malaysia's patience was rewarded in the 80th minute.
With the home side relentless in their pursuit of a winner, Qaseh, brought on in the second half, timed her run to perfection inside the box, sliding in to nick the ball past Housain and send the home bench into wild celebrations.
