The score suggests a one-sided encounter that ended in a heavy defeat, but Malaysia were far from embarrassed as they opened their 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup campaign with a 4-1 loss to South Korea in Group C on Thursday.
Coming up against the reigning champions, the Malaysians were always underdogs going into the tie. And granted, South Korea never looked in danger of losing.
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Yet, with just two minutes remaining, the South Koreans were only leading by a solitary goal before a late double from substitute Cho Young-wook enhanced the perception of his team's dominance throughout the 90 minutes.
Plenty of that is down to the spirit Malaysia displayed, bearing in mind that this is a side that are coming off the back of a gruelling Southeast Asian Games campaign that saw them play six matches in just 15 days -- further exacerbated by the disappointment of missing out on a medal after losing the third place playoff on penalties to bitter rivals Indonesia.
It is impossible to argue that South Korea were not deserving victors, especially given they enjoyed 70 percent of the possession, racking up 28 shots to the opponents' eight.
Nonetheless, their first goal through a Lee Sang-min header came courtesy of an individual error in judgment from the opposition -- with Rahadiazli Rahalim unnecessarily coming off his line before flapping at a corner -- while the second had a touch of fortune as Kim Tae-hwan's speculative 20-yard effort somehow sailed through a sea of bodies before catching the Malaysia goalkeeper unsighted.
When they had a rare forward foray, Malaysia also gave South Korea plenty to think about and their consolation effort in the 83rd minute -- when captain Mukhairi Ajmal latched onto a visionary pass by Nik Akif Syahiran before coolly finishing past Goh Dong-min -- was an example of the quality they do possess.
It is also worth noting that the Malaysians clearly came into the tournament with one eye on the future, with 14 of the 23-man squad aged 21 and younger and still eligible for the next edition of the tournament in two years' time.
As they showed at the SEA Games last month, there is potential within the ranks and the Young Tigers do look to be moving in the right direction under coach Brad Maloney, even if they are far from the finished article.
Again, on Thursday, the performance against quality opponents -- in spite of the scoreline -- did nothing to disprove that.
With games to come against fellow Southeast Asian outfits Thailand and Vietnam, the Malaysians could yet bounce back from an opening loss and qualify for the quarterfinals.
Even if they do not, this year's U-23 Asian Cup could still be one of positives, as a platform for a youthful outfit to build towards the near future.