Malaysia exposed the gulf in quality between the two sides as they beat Bangladesh 3-0 in their ASEAN Cup opener at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.

Ranked 45 places higher than Bangladesh, Malaysia dominated from the outset, with Arif Aiman opening the scoring in the 18th minute by firing a long pass between goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon’s legs.

Arif doubled the lead in the 37th minute after Shakil Ahad Topu lost control while attempting to clear, before Bergson Gustavo made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute with a fine turn and finish following another defensive error.

Bangladesh struggled to retain possession and build attacks, with their best chance coming in the 76th minute when Hamza Choudhury saw a double effort blocked inside the box.

Head coach Thomas Dooley introduced Farhaan Ali Wahid, Japanese-born Suki Itofusa and youngster Zidan Yusuf, but Bangladesh could not break Malaysia’s control.

“Obviously, it is not the dream that we had today, but a more realistic game where we can see the difference between us is in accuracy, technique, and tactics,” Dooley said.

“There is a reason why they are way up in the rankings.”

Dooley defended his players, saying many had lacked regular domestic league football, while admitting Bangladesh were heavily reliant on Hamza.

“We need Hamza in the back, in the midfield, and you could see we could need him up front,” he said.

He also backed goalkeeper Srabon, stating the defeat was not his fault, and praised substitute Itofusa for adding attacking power after replacing Farhan at half-time.

“We have to accept the difference in the quality of individual players from Malaysia and Bangladesh,” Dooley concluded. “Now we play against Singapore next, and we try to do it better, and then try to have a decent game against Indonesia.”