The final round of Group A in the FIFA ASEAN Cup first division on Oct. 1 remained dramatic until the closing minutes.
After beating Singapore 6-0, several Malaysian players had already begun celebrating, believing they had secured a place in the final.
But in the other match happening at the same time, two goals in the sixth and seventh minutes of stoppage time gave Indonesia a 9-2 win over Bangladesh. That left Indonesia level with Malaysia on seven points and a goal difference of +9, but top of the group because they had scored more goals, 11 to Malaysia’s nine.
The celebratory mood at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung quickly disappeared. Several Malaysian players could hardly believe what had happened, including Brazilian-born striker Bergson, who scored four of his team’s nine goals at the tournament, including a hat-trick against Singapore.
Malaysia striker Bergson da Silva (No. 9) and his teammates thank supporters after a 6-0 win over Singapore in the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup first division at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, on Oct. 1, 2026. Photo by MalaysiaNT
“Everything is ridiculous. Everything has favored Indonesia throughout the tournament. They played all three matches in Jakarta at night, while the visiting teams had to travel to Bandung and play in the afternoon,” Bergson wrote on his personal Instagram account after the match.
“In the final round, there were initially only two minutes of stoppage time, then suddenly it became seven. They scored two goals in the final two minutes of added time. What exactly is so strange and unreasonable about all of this?”
The post was deleted later that night. Bergson then put aside his frustration and encouraged his teammates with another message: “I’m proud of everyone.”
The Football Association of Malaysia later sent an open letter asking FIFA to clarify why the amount of stoppage time had been changed.
Indonesia coach John Herdman said there had been a communication error between referee Nasrullo Kabirov and fourth official Yusuke Ohashi. He said two minutes of added time would have been too short given the amount of time lost in the second half, when the referee consulted VAR four times and also stepped in to prevent confrontations between players.
Malaysian players react in disappointment in the technical area after learning that Indonesia had snatched the final berth at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup. Photo by MalaysiaNT
Malaysia coach Tan Cheng Hoe did not address the issue, saying only that the result was painful because his players had given everything.
Paulo Josue, another Brazilian-born naturalized striker for Malaysia, said he was stunned that Indonesia had managed to score nine goals.
“It’s very hard to believe. A national team conceded nine goals in a tournament like this,” the 37-year-old striker said. “We need to keep our heads up, face it and try to finish the tournament as well as we can.”
Josue urged his teammates to move past the disappointment and focus on their next task. Malaysia still have a third-place playoff on Oct. 5 against Vietnam.
Before the 6-0 win over Singapore, Malaysia had beaten Bangladesh 3-0 and drawn 0-0 with Indonesia.
Malaysian star Arif Aiman urged fans not to criticize the players after the team gave everything throughout the group stage and did not concede a goal.
“We were better than the teams here, and perhaps we’ll be even stronger in the future,” said the 24-year-old midfielder.
Highlights of Malaysia’s 6-0 win over Singapore at the FIFA ASEAN Cup.