Jakarta. Ten-man Indonesia held Malaysia to a goalless draw in their second FIFA ASEAN Cup Group A match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Monday night, leaving the battle for a place in the final to the last round of group matches.

Indonesia played with 10 men for more than half the match after midfielder Thom Haye was sent off in the 37th minute for a dangerous challenge on Malaysian forward Arif Aiman.

Despite Malaysia's numerical advantage, the visitors were unable to break down a resilient Indonesian defense as goalkeeper Maarten Paes produced several important saves to preserve the draw.

The result leaves Malaysia and Indonesia level on four points after two matches, with Malaysia remaining top of Group A on goal difference.

Singapore moved into third place with three points after beating Bangladesh 1-0 earlier Monday, while Bangladesh remains bottom without a point and has been eliminated from contention.

Only the Group A winner will advance to the final of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, while the runner-up will play in the third-place match.

That means Indonesia's final group match against Bangladesh on Oct. 1 will be decisive, but the Garuda's fate will also depend on the result between Malaysia and Singapore.

If Indonesia and Malaysia both win their final matches, they will finish level on seven points, and the group winner will be determined by the tournament's tie-breaking criteria, beginning with goal difference.

If Indonesia beats Bangladesh while Malaysia drops points against Singapore, Indonesia will finish top and advance to the final.

However, if Indonesia draws and Singapore beats Malaysia, Singapore would move to six points and finish above Indonesia.

Early Goal Ruled Out
Indonesia thought they had taken the lead just minutes after kickoff when Justin Hubner found the net following a long throw from Kevin Diks.

The goal was disallowed, however, after the referee ruled that Indonesia had committed a foul during the buildup.

The match took another dramatic turn in the 37th minute when Haye was shown a red card following a VAR review of his challenge on Arif Aiman.

Coach John Herdman's side was forced to reorganize, with Ivar Jenner replacing Ragnar Oratmangoen shortly afterward as Indonesia sought greater defensive stability.

Malaysia increasingly controlled possession after the dismissal, while Indonesia dropped deeper and looked primarily to counterattack.

Paes was called into action several times as Malaysia searched for the breakthrough.

Indonesia came particularly close to conceding in stoppage time when Dion Cools fired toward goal, but Hubner was positioned on the goal line to make a crucial clearance and preserve the 0-0 draw.

The result sets up a tense final round on Oct. 1, when Indonesia faces Bangladesh and Malaysia takes on Singapore with the Group A final berth still at stake.

Indonesia: Maarten Paes; Kevin Diks, Elkan Baggott, Justin Hubner; Joey Pelupessy, Calvin Verdonk, Dean James (Nathan Tjoe-A-On 82'), Thom Haye, Ole Romeny (Rizky Ridho 82'), Luke Vickery (Mitchell Baker 69'), Ragnar Oratmangoen (Ivar Jenner 42').

Coach: John Herdman.

Malaysia: Syihan Hazmi; Brad Tapp, Quentin Cheng, Dion Cools, La'Vere Corbin-Ong; Manuel Hidalgo (Fergus Tierney 73'), Stuart Wilkin, Nooa Laine; Faisal Halim (Paulo Josue 54'), Bergson (Syahmi Safari 88'), Arif Aiman.

Coach: Tan Cheng Hoe.

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