KUALA LUMPUR: The Young Tigers ended three years of pain when they reached the semi-finals of the Sea Games football competition in Hanoi today.
Although Brad Maloney's side were held 2-2 by Singapore in a Group B match at Thien Truong Stadium, Thailand's 5-0 thrashing of Cambodia in a later match ensured Malaysia's semi-final spot.
Malaysia lead Group B with seven points, one more than Thailand, followed by Singapore (five points), Cambodia (three) and Laos (one).
Maloney's side must still beat Cambodia on Monday to top their group as Thailand are expected to beat Laos on the same day.
Three years ago, Malaysia were beaten by the Philippines and Cambodia in the Manila Games and failed to reach the last four.
"We played for three points against Singapore today, but a few things did not happen during the match," said Maloney after the Singapore game.
"I tried to make some changes but it was not enough. We just have to accept the result."
Malaysia, who had beaten Thailand and Laos earlier, took the lead through Luqman Hakim Shamsudin in the fourth minute.
However, Singapore equalised three minutes later through Shah Shahiran.
The Young Tigers found themselves trailing 2-1 in the 78th minute after Singapore's Harhys Rizal Ian Stewart put one past goalkeeper Azri Ghani.
However, Malaysia managed to find their equaliser in the 82nd minute through Faiz Amer.
"It is a very tough group, and we still have one more group match left.
"For now, we will focus on the Cambodian team on Monday. We have to take our chances against them."
On reaching the semi-finals, Maloney said: "I believe we can go far if we focus on one match at a time.
"Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar are all tough teams in the other group. However, I just want my boys to focus on Cambodia before thinking about the semi-finals," he added.