Hannah Yeoh Comforts Young Footballer Lim You After Heartbreaking 4-0 Loss
Malaysia's U-17 Asian Cup hopes ended on Sunday after a 4-0 defeat to India, leaving 14-year-old star Lim You in tears.
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It was a heartbreaking Sunday at Selayang Stadium as Malaysia's national squad fell 4-0 to India in their Group E decider, ending their hopes of qualifying for next year's U-17 Women's Asian Cup
Fourteen-year-old football star Lim You burst into tears after the defeat.
Having played the full 90 minutes, the young athlete was visibly overwhelmed when the final whistle blew.
Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh stepped onto the field to comfort Lim and later praised the team in a social media post
Yeoh, who stayed to support the team throughout the match, was seen offering words of encouragement to the US-based player.
"The 0-4 result against India in the final Group E match of the 2027 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers is truly disheartening. I am sure the players themselves feel it the most, and I was there to offer them my support," Yeoh said, thanking the diverse group of Malaysian supporters who turned up to encourage the young players.
"To the young Malayan Tigress squad, thank you for fighting for Malaysia. Don't lose heart. You are still young and have a long journey ahead of you. There is a lot to be learnt from this experience," Yeoh added, expressing hope that investment in the development of women's football, particularly at youth level, would continue to increase.
In her social media post, Yeoh said Lim reminded her of her niece.
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Facebook)Despite the loss, Lim showed promise for the future of Malaysian women's football throughout the qualifying rounds
She previously made waves against Syria with a stellar 30-minute appearance, and even bagged the Player of the Match award during a 4-0 victory over Iraq.
However, India proved to be a different challenge for Takayoshi Ishihara's side.
According to the New Straits Times, Lim started on the right wing before switching to the left after the break, but India dominated the game.
India's Redima Devi Chingkhamayum opened the scoring in the 28th minute, and Pritika Barman doubled the lead early in the second half. Just three minutes later, Anushka Kumari made it 3-0, before Nidhi Kumar completed the scoring in the 86th minute.
India had to work hard to contain Lim You, who continued to pose a threat throughout the match.
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Facebook)Malaysian goalkeeper Putri Aina Husna Mohd Subri put up a valiant fight with several fine saves
Her efforts prevented an even heavier loss, but the defeat left Malaysia second in Group E with six points.
With only the group winners advancing, Malaysia will miss out on the finals in China, scheduled from 3 March to 17 April.
