1973 Merdeka Tournament
International football competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1973 Merdeka Tournament was the seventeenth edition of the annual football tournament hosted by Malaysia. It took place from 26 July to 12 August 1973 with ten participating nations.
Host countryFederation of Malaya
Dates26 July – 12 August 1973
Teams10
Venue1 (in 1 host city)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Federation of Malaya |
| Dates | 26 July – 12 August 1973 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Venue | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Malaysia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Kuwait |
| Third place |  Burma |
| Fourth place |  South Korea |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 75 (2.34 per match) |
← 1972 1974 → | |
Venues
| Kuala Lumpur |
|---|
| Merdeka Stadium |
| Capacity: 20,000 |
 |
Preliminary round
Attendance: 20,000
Singapore  | 1–1 |  Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 2–1 | ||
India  | 2–1 |  South Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Bangladesh  | 2–2 |  Thailand |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–6 | ||
Attendance: 3,000
Group stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| Malaysia |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 5 |
| India |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 |
| Thailand |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 |
| Khmer Republic |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 |
Referee: Kabal Singh (Malaysia)
| South Korea | 1–0 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| India | 3–0 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Malaysia | 1–2 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burma |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 8 |
| Kuwait |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 |
| South Vietnam |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| Bangladesh |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 2 |
| Singapore |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| South Vietnam | 1–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Kuwait | 2–1 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 5,000
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| South Vietnam | 1–0 | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Burma | 6–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Kuwait | 2–1 | South Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Ninth place
| Singapore | 3–0 | Khmer Republic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Seventh place
Fifth place
| South Vietnam | 1–1 | India |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
5–4 |
|
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
| South Korea | 0–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 5,000
Third place
| Burma | 2–1 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
Notes
- The game was initially scheduled for 3 August, however, was postponed a day due to the death of Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Ismail bin Abdul Rahman.[1]