KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- The national women's football team had to settle for a point after being held to a 1-1 draw by Laos in their opening Group A match of the 2026 AFF Women's Cup at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras here tonight.
Malaysia fell behind after Kemmy Phatdala found the net in the 37th minute, but Norhadfina Mohd Firdaus equalised in the 50th minute.
Both sides started brightly, exchanging attacks in search of the opening goal.
Laos broke the deadlock through Kemmy, who calmly headed home a free-kick delivery to beat the Malaysian goalkeeper.
The Malayan Tigress emerged with greater urgency after the break and were rewarded when Norhadfina levelled the score in the second half.
Malaysia continued to push for a winner, but a resolute Laos defence held firm to ensure the match ended all square.
The national side, coached by Joel Cornelli, will continue their Group A campaign against Singapore next Thursday.
Meanwhile, Cornelli acknowledged that his team still has areas to improve ahead of the remainder of the tournament.
"We tried from the first minute of the first half to press and score early, but unfortunately we missed some chances. At half-time, we made changes to give the team more strength and we managed to score," he said at the post-match press conference.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on July 19, while the final and third-place play-off are scheduled for July 22.
-- BERNAMA
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