Malaysia’s World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia was abandoned after fans angry at last week’s record 10-0 loss to the UAE hurled flares billowing smoke at the pitch, officials said.
Caretaker head coach Ong Kim Swee’s side were trailing 2-1 in the 88th minute when home fans threw flares and fireworks at Shah Alam Stadium, filling the venue with smoke.
“The game between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia has been stopped by the referee. Further decisions will be made by FIFA,” said a tweet from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
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Militant “Ultras Malaya” fans had threatened to disrupt the game after last week’s Group A drubbing by UAE, after which the coach Dollah Salleh resigned and the
FAM’s president also promised to quit. Meanwhile, the tiny Pacific nation of Guam held Oman 0-0 in Group D to extend their unbeaten home record in a World Cup qualifying campaign which continues to defy the odds.
The team from the remote US territory bounced back from last week’s 6-0 hammering by Iran in Tehran with a brave display at their National Training Centre ground.
Oman dominated possession against the country with a population of 165,000 but were unable to break down the hosts.
Bani Yas midfielder Mark Milligan opened the scoring for Australia as they beat Tajikistan 3-0 for a third straight win in Group B. Tim Cahill also bagged a brace for the Socceroos.
Japan thrashed Afghanistan 6-0, Leicester’s Shinzi Okazaki and Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji
Kagawa both netting twice, but they stay second in Group E as Syria also smashed Combodia by the same scoreline.
Qatar held on for a 3-2 win away in Hong Kong but were made to sweat after leading 3-0. South Korea, meanwhile, eased to a 3-0 win in Lebanon to stay top of Group G.