Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor roared when Harimau Malaya’s Joao Figueiredo scored a goal in the first half over the 98th FIFA ranked Palestine which is also the player’s third goal in his account since playing for the country.
This marked Malaysia’s end of wait for a win after 24 years against the Lions of Canaan. The Palestine has consistently won against Malaysia with the previous ones being in 2015’s World Cup Qualifiers where twelve goals were scored against Malaysia with nil conceded.
Joao Figueiredo is reported to also be the third player in history to have scored three goals consecutively in all three caps since his debut, joining Nizaruddin Yusoff in 1999-2000 and Mokhtar Dahari who have recorded this hall of fame’s achievement in 1972.
Under Peter Cklamovski’s coaching, the national team has maintained victories in all competitive matches since he was announced as the head coach. Malaysia recorded two wins and one tie under Cklamovski before adding this match’s 1-0 win under his belt.
A day before the match, Johor state government has contributed RM2.5 million to the people of Palestine via Tabung Kasih Johor-Palestin.
The contribution was delivered to the Palestinian Ambassador to Malaysia, Walid Abu Ali, by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, during a special prayer at Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar, according to Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, chairman of the State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee.
His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail, The Regent of Johor through his official Facebook page, HRH Crown Prince of Johor, has shared that he performed Solat Maghrib and Solat Hajat with the Harimau Malaya team as well as the Palestine national team at the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque on 7th September 2025.
His Royal Highness had personally donated and handed the contributions from the Johor State Government through the Johor-Palestine Compassionate Fund for Palestine humanitarian and development needs.
He said the special prayer for the well-being of Johor and both nations were also attended by Johor State Secretary Datuk Asman Shah, members of the State Executive Council, as well as players and coaches of the Harimau Malaya and Palestine national football teams.
Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, home of the Southern Tigers, Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club (JDT), has lit up in the colours of Palestinian flags as well as the Harimau Malaya’s iconic colour when the national anthem of Palestine and Malaysia are playing ahead of the kick-off as a show of solidarity with the nation’s plight and need for humanitarian support.
