SINGAPORE - Causeway rivals Malaysia received a shock to the system on Thursday when they suffered a humiliating 0-10 defeat by United Arab Emirates in their 2018 World Cup Asia zone qualifying match.

UAE were 7-0 up at half-time, and by the end of the match, had inflicted the Malaysian national team's worst result since a 2-8 defeat by New Zealand in 1967.

The meek surrender has sparked calls for the sacking of coach Dollah Salleh. The New Straits Times newspaper pulled no punches, saying the defeat "can be considered the national team's biggest humiliation in history".

The result has also sparked a vitriolic reaction from Malaysian fans online. "Hey guys, if you are keen on learning how to count from 1 to 10 in Arabic, go and watch the highlights from the game of UAE vs Malaysia," wrote Amir Azmi on Twitter.