KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia defeated the Philippines 36-19 to finish third in Division One of the Asia Under-19 Championship in Manila on Saturday.
With the win, Malaysia will remain in Division One next year.
Team manager Azlan Ishak said his boys did well and showed improvement from the 34-13 semi-final defeat to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"We were aggressive and we took an early lead. We were also defensively strong,” he said.
UAE defeated South Korea 19-12 in the final to earn the single promotion spot to the Championship Division (top tier) next year.