PETALING JAYA (13 July 2015) – Malaysia emerged as the runners-up of the inaugural Commonwealth Cup Futsal Championship in New Zealand, after losing 0-1 to Australia in their last round robin tie.
The Malaysia collected six points from three matches at the Wellington ASB Sports Complex and where they failed to secure the cup when Australian Wade Giovenali netted the winner in the 32nd minute.
Australia emerged champions after collecting the maximum nine points from three wins, followed by Malaysia (6 points), New Zealand (3 points) and Vanuatu (0 points) in the four nation tournament played in a round-robin format.
Malaysia coached by Marcelo Serpa Coelho, had on Friday beaten Vanuatu 7-3 and New Zealand 5-2 yesterday.
Saiful Aula Ahmad and Amar Ashraf Abu Bakar were crowned as the highest goal scorers of the championship after both netted three goals each.
The championship in New Zealand would serve as a tune up for the national squad, currently ranked 66 in the world, for the upcoming Asean Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Championship in Bangkok, Thailand from Oct 8-16.
Malaysia are drawn in Group A with defending champion Thailand, Timor Leste, Brunei and Singapore while Australia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines are drawn in Group B.
