IT was a bittersweet day for host nation Malaysia who broke its gold medal record for the Sea Games but missed out on the gold in football after losing to Thailand 1-0.

At the close of the day, Malaysia was ahead with 140 gold, 90 silver and 83 bronze taking the tally to 313 medals. Second on the table was Thailand with 69 gold, 86 silver and 87 bronze. 

Malaysia fell behind in the 39th minute after goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli misjudged an aerial ball following a corner and deflected it into his own goal. 

The wet conditions after an evening downpour made it difficult for Haziq to judge the corner as he tried to punch it out. 

After the breather, the Malaysian under-23 side, coached by Ong Kim Swee, mounted a brave comeback but failed to convert their chances. 

Malaysia’s stars Safawi Raised and N. Thanabalan came close several times but luck was not on their side.

The host’s best chance to level the match came in the 77th minute when Syazwan Andik Mohd Ishak sent in a right-foot drive from the left that clipped the crossbar. 

Malaysia last won the gold in 2011 after beating Indonesia 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 tie in Jakarta. Before that, Malaysia also won the Sea Games gold in 2009 by beating Vietnam 1-0 in Vientiane. – August 29, 2017.