*Goal: Safawi 5', 45'+1 - Hwang Ui-jo 88'

Entering the second round of the group stage, South Korea and Malaysia both had their own calculations, as the two remaining teams in Group E, Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain, proved too weak and had shared points in the 2-2 draw that took place earlier.

After a 6-0 win over Bahrain, South Korea has a superior goal difference. Therefore, if they only draw with Malaysia, they will have a good chance of winning the group and in the round of 16 will meet the second team in Group D - the position will be decided after the match between Japan and Vietnam in the final round on Sunday afternoon, August 19.

Malaysia (white) has 6 points after two matches, and although there is still one match left, it is certain to top Group E due to a better head-to-head record than Korea. Photo:AP.

Coach Kim Hak-bum continued to leave superstar Son Heung-min on the bench - a move that showed that Korea was very confident in the quality of their current squad. However, in the 5th minute, they received a cold shower. From a seemingly harmless long ball, goalkeeper Song Bumkeun collided with his teammate when coming out, leading to the loss of the ball. Safawi Rasid seized the opportunity to finish into an empty net.

With the lead, Malaysia played a smooth defensive counter-attacking style. With a deep-lying formation and not afraid to play tough, Coach Ong Kim Swee's players aimed to prevent Korea from approaching the center. Up front, Safawi just waited for the cross-field passes to open up the pace.

After the pressure, the opportunity came more clearly for Korea at the end of the first half. After Hwang Ui-jo's shot in the air in a favorable position, Hwang Hee-chan failed to face goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli despite having previously had a smooth pass with his teammates. Hee-chan then headed the ball into the wall for Kim Jungmin to volley in the penalty area but the ball went wide.

Before finding a way into the Malaysian goal, South Korea unexpectedly conceded a goal in a counterattack at the end of the first half. Safawi was the one to score again, with a flick from the outside of his left foot that sent the ball bouncing off the post into the net. In this situation, goalkeeper Bumkeun made another mistake by standing completely off to one side of the goal.

Son could not help his team score after being brought on in the second half. Photo:AP.

Trailing by two goals, coach Kim Hak-bum had to bring Son Heung-min onto the field with 40 minutes left in the second half. Immediately after appearing, the Tottenham striker immediately impacted his team's play. He did not play as a striker but dropped deep to attract Malaysian defenders and create assists for his teammates.

However, despite his classy performances, Son appeared quite isolated, while his teammates continued to miss opportunities.

It wasn't until the 88th minute that South Korea pulled one back. Receiving a high pass from Lee Yinhyun, Hwang Ui-jo broke into the penalty area and flicked the outside of his right foot to beat goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli in a one-on-one situation. In the remaining minutes, Son and his teammates focused all their efforts on attacking but couldn't turn the game around. The Tottenham striker's free kick went just wide of the post.

With this victory, Malaysia has 6 points, certainly leading Group E because the first sub-index calculated at the Asian Games is the head-to-head difference. In the final round, even if Korea wins against Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia loses to Bahrain with any score, the two leading positions will not change.

South Korea will face the winner of Group F, while Malaysia will face either Japan or Vietnam.