07-07-2025
Nurul Azurin, Malaysia's queen of stops
Malaysia may bend, but with Nurul Azurin, they would never break. (Nurul Azurin Instagram pic)
PETALING JAYA : If you caught the live-streamed matches of Malaysia's women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifying campaign, you witnessed something special.
It was football with heart, moments that made you lean in, cheer out loud, and believe.
From gritty tackles to flashes of brilliance, the Malayan Tigress delivered football powered by unity, determination, and a hunger to prove themselves on the Asian stage.
While goalkeeper Nurul Azurin Mazlan was the undisputed star between the posts, the Malayan Tigress as a whole rose to the occasion, delivering one of their strongest international performances in recent memory.
Those who missed the action didn't just miss thrilling saves.
They missed a team, coached by Brazilian Joel Cornelli, that fought with spirit, defended with steel, and played with growing confidence on the continental stage.
Some of the national team players celebrating after beating Palestine during the Asian Cup qualifying Group H opener in Tajikistan. (FAM pic)
At the heart of it all, Nurul Azurin stood between victory and despair like a lighthouse guiding ships through a storm.
The 25-year-old was the anchor of the squad, her gloved hands turning away goals and igniting belief in Malaysia's campaign in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Though the Tigress finished second in Group H, just shy of qualification for the finals in Australia, their journey was somewhat framed by the brilliance of Nurul Azurin.
With cat-like reflexes and nerves of steel, she turned match-defining moments into Malaysian memories.
From the opening whistle against Palestine on June 29, Nurul Azurin commanded her penalty area with the poise of a seasoned general.
Malaysia, ranked 102nd in the world, may have been favourites on paper against 134th-ranked Palestine, but pressure has a way of ignoring numbers.
Nurul Azurin in action against a ruthless North Korea on Saturday. (AFC pic)
When a 25th-minute penalty threatened to turn the tide, Dima Alrumhi's shot arrowed toward the bottom corner.
But there was Nurul Azurin, springing to her right, swatting the ball away in a moment of sheer defiance.
The rebound ballooned high, and in a heartbeat, Nurul Azurin was back on her feet, both shield and sword.
Later, when Henrietta Justine rose in stoppage time to nod home the winning goal, it was Nurul Azurin's clean sheet that laid the foundation for Malaysia's 1-0 triumph.
Her next test came against hosts Tajikistan, a side that unleashed wave after wave of high crosses and midfield surges.
After Nur Fazira Sani's 16th-minute thunderbolt struck the post, the message was clear: this would be a hard-fought battle. But Nurul Azurin stood tall.
She cut out dangerous crosses, rushed out to smother through balls, and flung herself full stretch to parry close-range efforts, each move a masterclass in anticipation and bravery.
With the game goalless deep into stoppage time, Farahiyah Ridzuan's clinical strike looked like a late twist in a gritty tale.
But Tajikistan never found their reply because Nurul Azurin's dominance in the box had already broken their rhythm and belief.
Malaysia's 1-0 win kept their perfect record intact, and once again, their 'queen of stops' was the difference.
On Saturday, the true test of courage came against North Korea, the world's ninth-ranked team and three-time Asian champions.
In a group where the North Koreans had scored 20 goals in just two games, the 6-0 scoreline against Malaysia barely reflected the heroic resistance of Nurul Azurin.
Time and again, she produced bold interceptions and sprawling saves. Without her, the margin could have been higher.
Each deflection, each punch, each dive was a message: Malaysia may bend, but with Nurul Azurin, they would never break.
Her resilience is no coincidence.
Since January, Nurul Azurin has been making her mark in Europe, winning the Albanian women's super league with KFF Vllaznia.
Malayan Tigress goalkeeper Nurul Azurin, an embodiment of resilience. (FAM pic)
In the 2024/25 season, she helped secure the club's 12th league title and qualification for the 2025/26 UEFA women's Champions League qualifiers.
In an interview, she described her experience as a baptism by fire, saying that the tempo, aggression, and tactical demands revealed how far the team had come, and how much further they still had to go.
Before Albania, Nurul Azurin sharpened her craft with India's Misaka United and Kosovo's KFF Presingu.
These stints overseas have broadened her footballing intelligence and emboldened her resolve.
Yet her international journey was built on local success.
She first made waves winning the 2019 Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup with Melaka United.
Then came personal accolades: Best goalkeeper in India's Karnataka Women's League (2021/22) and at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Football Federation Women's invitational.
Each achievement became a stepping stone, a slab in the path that led her to this moment, where a nation's defence rests on her shoulders.
Nurul Azurin is more than a goalkeeper. She is the embodiment of resilience, the architect of hope, and Malaysia's undisputed 'queen of stops.'
