KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya survived a scare against Cambodia, fighting back to secure a 2-2 draw in their Asean Cup Group A clash at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium on Sunday.
Pau Marti Vicente's side struck first in the 35th minute when Daniel Ting delivered a pinpoint cross for Stuart Wilkin, whose towering header found the back of the net, handing Malaysia a 1-0 lead.
The visitors held firm until halftime, but Cambodia returned stronger after the break.
A misplaced pass in midfield by Malaysia's Jimmy Raymond allowed Sokyuth Kim to intercept and tee up Abdel Kader Coulibaly, who slotted home the equaliser in the 52nd minute.
Seven minutes later, Cambodia, ranked 180th in the world, capitalised again as substitute Ty Sa fired his side into a 2-1 lead.
Malaysia responded in the 75th minute through Fergus Tierney, who came off the bench to replace Paulo Josue.
Tierney's long-range strike rescued a crucial point for the visitors.
With the draw, Malaysia will now shift their focus to a must-win match against Timor Leste at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday.