KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- After suffering defeat to South Korea in their second Group C match, the national quadrant squad bounced back to defeat India in the final group-stage match and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup.
Although all three teams in Group C - Malaysia, India and South Korea - recorded two wins each, India and Malaysia advanced to the quarter-finals due to their superior overall game points tally.
The match at Stadium Titiwangsa saw a lively atmosphere with strong crowd support as the national team, comprising Muhammad Afifuddin Mohd Razali, Muhammad Shahalril Aiman Halim, Amirul Zazwan Amir and Aidil Aiman Azwawi took on India’s line-up of Ram Kumar Sharma, Yunam Akash, Bobby Kumar and Sorokhaibam Malemnganba Singh.
A service error by Aidil early in the match affected the national squad’s momentum as India claimed the opening set 15-13.
The second set saw an intense battle as both teams traded points before Malaysia edged India 17-15 to force a deciding set, which the national squad dominated to seal a 15-10 victory.
Team captain Amirul Zazwan said the national squad learned from mistakes made in the opening set to bounce back strongly in the second and third sets in their mission to reach the quarter-finals.
“This was a do-or-die match for us because we had already lost to South Korea this morning, so we really wanted to win.
“We tried our best in the first set, but we made too many unnecessary mistakes. However, we recovered well in the second set and the tie-breaker. Alhamdulillah, tonight we managed to beat India,” he said after the match.
In another Group C match, South Korea defeated Singapore 2-0.
As Group C runners-up, Malaysia are set to face the Group B winners.
-- BERNAMA
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