Goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy was nine-man Malaysia's hero as he saved an injury-time penalty against Hong Kong at the Hang Jebat Stadium on Tuesday night.

The home side were seemingly heading to yet another late defeat after Rizal Ghazali and Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak were each issued a second yellow card in the final minutes of the game — the former for re-entering the pitch without the referee's permission and the latter for protesting against the award of the penalty.

However, Alessandro Ferreira Leonardo, who scored the opening goal of the night in the 53rd minute, failed to beat the Perak goalkeeper from the spot before hitting his follow-up effort wide.

Hafizul's late heroics, along with Syazwan Zainon's 56th-minute equaliser, was crucial, as it ensured a 1-1 draw to give the Tigers their first point in Group B of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification third round campaign and snap their three-game losing streak.

Despite remaining bottom of the group, with North Korea and Lebanon playing out a 2-2 draw in an earlier game, it means Malaysia's hopes of qualifying for next year's tournament are still within their grasp.

A win against North Korea on October 5 will see them leapfrog into the top two contention.

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