Nepal’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers’ third round campaign begins with a defeat as they lose 0-2 to Malaysia on Tuesday night in their first game of the round.

Before taking on Malaysia, the Nepali team and their new head coach Matt Ross were in high spirits as they had defeated Singapore 1-0 only four days ago.

“We will be playing for three points, and if it becomes one, we can be satisfied,” Ross had said in the pre-match conference on Monday. However, Ross and his team ended their stay in Malaysia without a single point.

Nepal conceded the first goal in the 29th minute with Hector Hevel scoring it. The second goal came in the second half as Malaysia used a training ground move during a free kick in the 70th minute; La’Vere Corbin-Ong scored one of the easiest goals after receiving a pass inside the six-yard box.

Australian-born Ross, who was facing the team led by another Australian-born, Peter Cklamovski, had earlier stressed that his squad would play defensive football if needed against Malaysia. And Nepal was mostly defensive at the Johor-based Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.

Malaysia kept troubling the Nepali defense and goalie while the travellers were finding it difficult to get the ball into the opponent’s box. On the rare occasions they succeeded, they failed to finish.

For Nepal, youngster Rejin Subba made his senior debut.

Nepal are in Group F with Malaysia, Laos and Vietnam, with the teams playing in a double round-robin format. The team with the most points in six games will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Nepal will face Laos and Vietnam, at their respective homes, on June 10 and October 9, respectively, before the second-leg fixtures with Vietnam and Malaysia on October 14 and November 18. The last game between Nepal and Laos is scheduled for March 31 next year. Nepal will host the three group opponents during the second-leg fixtures.