Fukuda’s Brace Lifts Japan Past Malaysia 2-1 and Into Second Spot at the ACT
Correction: an earlier version of this article said Japan v Malaysia was Wednesday’s second semi-final at 6:30pm. The official fixture list has Japan v Malaysia at 4:00pm, with India v South Korea at 6:30pm.
Malaysia scored first. Japan still won the game, and with it, second place. That’s the story of Monday’s second match in Jalandhar, and it changes the shape of Wednesday’s semi-finals completely.
Abu Kamal Azrai put Malaysia ahead in the 10th minute with a field goal, and for a while it looked like the Speedy Tigers would hold on to second spot. Kentaro Fukuda had other ideas. He levelled it in the 24th minute, also from open play, and then struck again in the 54th to complete the comeback. Two goals, both field goals, both from the same man, and Malaysia had no answer.
The swing is worth spelling out. Before this game Malaysia sat on nine points and Japan on seven. A Malaysia win would have kept them second. Instead Japan finish on 10 points, Malaysia stay on nine, and the two sides now meet again in Wednesday’s first semi-final in Mohali at 4:00pm Pakistan time. Beating a team once is one thing. Beating them twice in three days, with a final on the line, is a different test entirely.
Japan’s league campaign has been quietly impressive. They beat South Korea 3-2 on day one, edged Bangladesh 1-0, lost 4-1 to India, drew 2-2 with China, and now this. Nine goals scored, nine conceded, and a team that keeps finding a way in tight games. Malaysia, meanwhile, have lost two on the bounce now, to India and Japan, after winning their first three. They’ll need to rediscover that early-tournament sharpness fast, because Japan have just shown them exactly how this rematch can go.
Related:
https://sportscursor.com/act-monday-final-league-day-india-korea-malaysia-japan-2-november-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/india-4-2-malaysia-harmanpreet-hat-trick-act-1-november-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/mohali-act-knockouts-semis-4-november-final-5-november-2026/
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