Kuala Lumpur: One of the biggest rivalries in Southeast Asian football is set to take centre stage at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 when Malaysia will lock horns with Singapore at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Friday.
Popularly known as the “Causeway Derby”, the fixture was first played in the year 1958 and has provided many memorable moments for fans of both nations over the years.
Malaysia have had a rather underwhelming tournament so far after starting their Group A campaign with a disappointing 2-2 draw against Cambodia. This was followed by Timor-Leste taking a 2-1 lead against them in their previous home match, only for Paulo Josue’s brace to save their blushes on that occasion as they won by a narrow margin of 3-2.
In their most recent match, Malaysia lost 1-0 away to Thailand, having to pay the price due to a goalkeeping error. They are currently in joint third in the standings, two points behind Singapore in second meaning that only a win on the final matchday could still see them through to the semi-finals.
The do-or-die match could be interim head coach Pau Marti Vicente’s final game in charge with the Spaniard having announced prior to the tournament that this will be his last assignment in the Malaysia hot seat, with former FC Tokyo manager Peter Cklamovski named as his successor earlier this week.
Rivals Singapore have crossed the Causeway divide to compete in this match and will still be licking their wounds from a 4-2 defeat at home to Thailand on Tuesday, having let a two-goal lead slip away.
On the positive side, Shawal Anuar and Faris Ramli scored brilliant individual goals in that match with the former now the tournament’s top scorer with four goals heading into this clash.
Tsutomu Ogura knows that just a draw could be enough to see them through to the final four but that would be a dangerous game to play in rival territory at a rocking Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
The Singapore players will be aware that this was almost the exact same scenario in the 2022 edition, with the Lions ahead of Malaysia on points heading into the final matchday but the Harimau Malaya produced a stunning display in front of more than 65,000 spectators.
Stuart Wilkin netted a double, while Darren Lok and Sergio Aguero also got on the scoresheet as Malaysia ran out 4-1 winners to overtake Singapore and confirm their spot in the semi-finals.
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘁: 🇲🇾 🆚 🇸🇬 (Nov 29, 2014)
— ASEAN United FC (@aseanutdfc) January 3, 2023
💫 The Causeway Derby returns for the first time in 8️⃣ years!
🎭 Will we see another dramatic encounter like the previous one?#AFFMitsubishiElectricCup2022 | #BeTheGameChanger | #MASvSGP pic.twitter.com/5t6A2hghrm
That was the first Causeway Derby at the ASEAN Championship since 2014 when one of the most famous clashes between these two teams took place at Singapore National Stadium. With the match seemingly heading for a draw, Safiq Rahim and Indra Putra scored stoppage-time goals to help Malaysia win 3-1 on their way to reaching the finals that year.
Over the years, there have been nine Causeway Derbies in the ASEAN Championship with Malaysia having the edge with four wins and two defeats while three matches have ended in a draw.
The stage is now all set for a mouthwatering 10th iteration of the Causeway Derby at the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024.
Malaysia vs Singapore
Venue: Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
Kick-off: 20 December, 9:00 PM (Local Time)
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