Southeast Asian fans collectively reacted when Malaysia narrowly defeated Laos

Numerous fans from Southeast Asia complimented Laos's display even though they were defeated by Malaysia.

With all seven illegally naturalized players banned by FIFA, Malaysia faced Laos in the Asian Cup qualifiers with only one foreign-influenced player. Meanwhile, Laos deliberately adopted a solid defensive strategy from the start, aiming to secure at least one point against Malaysia on home ground.

In the opening minutes, Laos played impressively and even had a chance to score early. Afterwards, they chose a strong defensive approach, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw. Unfortunately, in the second half, Malaysia increased their attacks while Laos’s stamina dropped, resulting in three consecutive goals for Malaysia.

Nevertheless, many Southeast Asian fans praised Laos's courageous effort in the first half and noted that Malaysia has weakened significantly without their naturalized players. One fan commented on the ASEAN Football forum: "Now Malaysia is only on par with Laos, nothing more."

Another viewer shared their opinion: "I think with such a strong naturalized squad, they would have easily beaten Vietnam 4-0. If those naturalized players were still present, Malaysia should have scored 7 goals in the first half against Laos, but instead, they were held to a 0-0 draw in the first half."

Similarly, a fan from Indonesia remarked: "It's hard to believe they were held to a draw by Laos’s very young U23 squad for the entire first half." or "Laos is no pushover; they even drew with Indonesia before, so it’s understandable Malaysia struggled without their naturalized players."

There were also some humorous comments about Malaysia’s poor performance against Laos: "The happiest fans must be those from Vietnam." or "This is the true quality of Malaysia’s local players."

Unfortunately, although Laos managed to hold Malaysia in the first half, their stamina declined, and they conceded consecutive goals in the final minutes. Losing 0-3 overall, Laos now has almost no chance to advance.