KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia received the perfect tonic ahead of their clash against Thailand by thrashing Brunei 10-0 in today's AFF Futsal Championship Group A match at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok.
Malaysia scored through Ekmal Shahrin (eighth and 34th minutes), Sufri Shamil (21st and 22nd), Farhan Khairul Anuar (33th), Abu Haniffa Hasan (34th), Joshua Lee (37th and 38th) and Aidil Shahril Rosli (39th) with Brunei's Jumatatulaleshahrezan Metali scoring an own goal in the 18th minute.
In earlier matches, Malaysia edged Cambodia 7-6 and lost 5-1 to Indonesia.
Indonesia and Thailand, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw today. Both teams lead the standings with seven points each, while Malaysia are third on six.
Malaysia must beat Thailand tomorrow to finish top two in Group A and qualify for the semi-finals.
National coach Chiew Chun Yong said his men are eager to spring an upset tomorrow.
"It's going to be a tough match, Thailand are obviously the favourites. However, my boys are very motivated to play them.
"The group is open now and who wins will advance to the semi-finals.
"If my players can follow the game plan, we might earn a surprise result."
Commenting on the win over Brunei, Chun Yong said he was more focused on his team's performance rather than the result against Brunei.
"The win against Brunei is good but the result was not my focus. I wanted to see how the players do in terms of marking, build-up play and tactics.
"I'm glad that they followed the plan well. The focus is to prepare for the Thailand game, and if we beat them, we will advance to the semi-finals."