It was better. Malaysia qualifed for the Munich Olympics game in 1972. To get there, they beat Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and in the actual Olympics. they defeated the US team 3-0. But lost to Germany. They also qualified for the 1980 Olympics.
Wow thanks. They even won one match, beating USA (see below, got 4 chinese names!). So it seems like SEA football was competitive at asian continental level in the 60s and 70s. Burma won back-to-back asian games. Singapore were 4th. Malaysia qualifying for and winning a match at the olympics.
29 August 1972 Ingolstadt
Att: 3,000 Ref: Henry Oberg (Nor) HT: 1-0
MALAYSIA 3 (Zawawi, Salleh, Sha- harudin)
UNITED STATES 0
Malaysia: Fook - Othman, Namat, Chandran, Aun, Zawawi, Hamzah, Wah, Salleh, Shaharudin (Mohd), Teik.
USA: Ivanov, Bahr, Bocwinski, Dernling (Hamm), Stemke, Stam, Roboostoff, Seerey, Carenza (Gay), Hernandez, Salcedo.