Malaysia defeats Laos 4-0, overtakes Thailand from the top position of Group B standings for the 2026 AFF Cup.

Malaysia's national football team crushed Laos with a dominant 4-0 scoreline in their second Group B fixture of the 2026 AFF Cup at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium on Tuesday. This convincing victory sent Harimau Malaya to the top of the provisional standings, overtaking Thailand.

Malaysia launched attacks immediately from the opening whistle. Tan Cheng Hoe's squad controlled the flow of the match using short passing combinations and exploiting both flanks of the pitch.

Laos on the other hand adopted a defensive approach, packing players inside their own half while waiting for opportunities to launch counterattacks. This strategy left them under almost constant pressure throughout the entire first half.

Malaysia's dominance finally paid off just before the halftime break. Paulo Josue broke the deadlock with a clinical finish during first half stoppage time.

Malaysia went into halftime holding a 1-0 lead.

Malaysia's positive momentum continued after the interval. Barely 12 minutes into the second half, Endrick doubled the advantage to 2-0 with a composed finish.

With a two-goal cushion, Malaysia tightened their grip on the game. Laos, unable to break free from the pressure, conceded again when Sydavong scored an own goal, putting the score at 3-0 in Malaysia's favour.

Even with a three-goal lead, Harimau Malaya did not ease off their attacks. They kept up the pressure until Wan Kuzain completed the goal rout in the 84th minute, sealing the emphatic 4-0 victory.

With this result, Malaysia have collected six points from two matches and climb to the top of the provisional Group B standings, displacing Thailand who have only played one fixture so far.