
Malaysia’s Terengganu FC secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Indonesia’s PSM Makassar in their penultimate Group A match on Wednesday, boosting their chances of advancing to the knockout stages of the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship.
The match’s lone goal came in the second half at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, where Safawi Rasid calmly converted a penalty to hand PSM their first loss of the tournament. PSM had started the day as group leaders, but the result reshuffled the standings as Thailand’s BG Pathum United climbed to the top of the group with eight points thanks 4-1 win away at already-eliminated Shan United of Myanmar, while Terengganu and PSM sit level on seven points each.
Vietnam’s Dong A Thanh Hoa remain in contention as well, with six points in fourth place, having played a 0-0 draw with Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng. This sets up a thrilling final matchday on 5 February, with Terengganu facing BGPU and PSM hosting Thanh Hoa, as all four teams remain in the hunt for a spot in the knockout stages.
With their tournament hopes on the line, Terengganu dominated the early stages, searching for a much-needed breakthrough. Both Safawi and Nurillo Tukhtasinov had early chances, but their efforts went astray. In the 25th minute, Ismahil Akinade registered Terengganu’s first shot on target, but his tame strike from 30 yards was comfortably saved by Reza Arya Pratama, PSM’s goalkeeper.
PSM nearly opened the scoring moments later when Rizky Eka Pratama found Ricky Pratama unmarked in front of goal. However, the 21-year-old forward misfired, letting a golden opportunity slip away.
Reza was a key figure for PSM in the first half, making critical saves in the 35th minute. He denied a long-range strike from Akhyar Rashid before tipping a volley from Manny Ott over the bar. On the other end, PSM’s Victor Dethan forced a sharp save from Terengganu’s Rahadiazli Rahalim, and Akinade narrowly missed a one-on-one chance, lifting the ball over Reza but wide of the target.
The frenetic first half ended goalless, with both sides squandering chances to take the lead.
After the break, Terengganu continued to press. Akinade headed a Tukhtasinov free-kick just wide in the 50th minute, and Akhyar was thwarted by Rahadiazli following a brilliant through ball from Tukhtasinov.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 65th minute. The referee awarded Terengganu a penalty after Tukhtasinov’s cross struck substitute Ananda Raehan’s arm inside the box. Safawi stepped up and coolly sent Reza the wrong way to put his side ahead.
PSM struggled to respond, managing only one shot on target in the second half as the absence of star striker Nermin Haljeta hits the Juku Eja hard. Their best chance to equalize came in the 90th minute when substitute Arham Darmawan headed just wide from an Abdul Rahman cross. However, Terengganu held firm to secure a deserved win, keeping the Turtles’ knockout stage hopes alive.