Thailand suffered a shock elimination from the AFC U19 Championships today with a 1-0 loss against Malaysia.
A goal by Muhamed Umar Hakeem in the 84th minute was the only thing that separated the two sides and saw Malaysia progress as group winners with a 100% record after collecting 12 points from 12.
After this result, their 2-1 loss at the hands of Cambodia turned out to be crucial, as they slipped into third place behind their Southeastern neighbors.
The Angkor Warriors looked to seal the deal on their qualification with a 3-0 win over Brunei, but face an agonizing wait for Group A to be played out at the end of the month before they can confirm their place via the second-place ranking.
Elsewhere, Laos followed Australia into the final tournament, as both took six points of Macau and Chinese Taipei after their opening day draw.
Only Korea managed to advance from Group I, winning all three of their games. This spells a shock elimination for China, whose goal difference was insufficient to qualify via the second-place ranking.
Indonesia emerged top of Group K, with their 1-1 draw over North Korea enough to make them the only team to progress. The side have already sealed their place in the U20 world cup as hosts, but will benefit from the valuable preparation of being at the AFC Championships in Uzbekistan.
Lastly, Vietnam managed to hold Japan to a 0-0 draw on home soil in Group J, securing passage for both.