Bangladesh began their FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Malaysia in their opening match.

Malaysia dominated from the start with organised and attacking football, while Bangladesh struggled to find their rhythm. The hosts took the lead in the 18th minute when their No. 10 Arif Aiman found the net with a well-placed shot after Bangladesh failed to deal with a series of attacks.

Malaysia doubled their advantage in the 38th minute following a mistake by Bangladesh defender Tapu Barman. Arif Aiman capitalised on the misplaced pass and scored his second goal of the match to make it 2-0 before half-time.

Bangladesh tried to respond after the break but continued to make a number of misplaced passes. Malaysia extended their lead in the 52nd minute when Brazil-born forward Bergson Gustavo controlled a ball from the right and fired it into the net with his right foot. Bangladesh goalkeeper Srabon could not prevent the effort from finding the net.

Three goals down, Bangladesh had a good opportunity to pull one back in the 76th minute. Hamza Choudhury broke into the box after receiving a pass from a teammate, but his effort was saved by the Malaysian goalkeeper.

There were no further goals as Bangladesh, coached by Thomas Dooley, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Malaysia, ranked 136th in the world.