Lim You in tears, Hannah steps in to comfort her

SELAYANG: Malaysia's 14-year-old footballer Lim You broke down in tears after a 4-0 defeat to India on Sunday, that ended their hopes of qualifying for next year's U-17 Women's Asian Cup.

The youngster, who played the full 90 minutes at the Selayang Stadium, struggled to contain her emotions after the final whistle as Malaysia failed to match India in the Group E decider.

Former Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who was at the stadium to support the national team, approached Lim You to comfort her and offer words of encouragement.

Hannah, now Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), stayed until the final whistle to support the young Malaysians.

Despite the defeat, Lim You had impressed in earlier matches, showing plenty of promise for the future of women's football in the country.

The United States-based player started the qualifying campaign as a substitute against Syria before coming on for the final 30 minutes and helping Malaysia record a 1-0 victory.

She continued her impressive form against Iraq, helping Malaysia to a 4-0 win and earning the Player of the Match award.

But India proved a different proposition as Takayoshi Ishihara's side struggled to cope with their opponents' dominance.

Lim You started on the right wing before switching to the left after the break.

India took the lead through Redima Devi Chingkhamayum in the 28th minute before Pritika Barman doubled their advantage early in the second half.

Anushka Kumari made it 3-0 three minutes later, while Nidhi Kumar completed the rout in the 86th minute.

Malaysia goalkeeper Putri Aina Husna Mohd Subri produced several fine saves to prevent an even heavier defeat.

The defeat left Malaysia second in Group E with six points from two wins and one defeat, ending their hopes of reaching the finals in China, which will be held from March 3-April 17.