On eight previous occasions, Malaysia had been triumphant in every official meeting with Cambodia.
With 26 goals scored and just six conceded.
On Sunday, as the 2024 ASEAN Championship got underway at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium, that streak came to an end as a plucky Cambodia outfit forced a 2-2 draw against the Malaysians to kick things off in Group A.
The Cambodians deserve plenty of credit for the result, as they rallied after falling behind to Stuart Wilkin's 35th-minute opener.
Two goals in eight minutes from Abdel Kadir Coulibaly and Sa Ty turned the tie on its head by the hour mark, before Fergus Tierney came off the bench to help the visitors avoid what would have been an unthinkable defeat with a long-range equaliser in the 74th minute.
Still, getting a point out of the contest still did not completely spare Malaysia's blushes.
Although the gap is steadily closing between Southeast Asia's traditional top sides and lesser lights, Harimau Malaya would still have expected to win such a tie -- especially if they want to be one of the two teams advancing to the semifinals.
There are ties against defending champions Thailand and fierce rivals Singapore that are, on paper, tougher tests ahead of them. Beginning their campaign with a tie -- in a match they would have pencilled in as a must-win -- is certainly far from ideal.
While much has been made over the absence of numerous key personnel, the Malaysians did manage to field an experienced starting XI led by co-captains Syafiq Ahmad, Syamer Kutty Abba and Dominic Tan, as well as naturalised foreigners in Paulo Josué and Endrick.
The fact that it was Cambodia who arguably showed the greater endeavour from the opening whistle would be cause for concern of Malaysia caretaker coach Pau Martí.
One man however that always brings energy is Wilkin, and it was his determination to reach a hopeful ball lifted in to the area by Daniel Ting that saw him just get there in time to open the scoring with a diving header.
Taking the lead despite not playing particularly well might have made for a satisfactory first half for Martí, especially with the prospect of his charges going up a gear after the break.
Instead, they came out for the second half looking even more sluggish and complacent.
A missed clearance by debutant Jimmy Raymond would pave the way for Kim Sokyuth to set up Coulibaly to make it 1-1, before Ty was somehow left completely unmarked at a corner to convert at the back post just three minutes after coming onto the pitch.
There was a distinct lack of cohesion, communication and urgency. Despite having three captains, there was a real void of leadership.
Instead, it was a 21-year-old who had only won his first cap last month that came to the rescue as Malaysia also produced their own inspired substitution, with Tierney -- having been introduced into the contest for all of four minutes -- finding just enough space on the edge of the area to squeeze a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
It was always going to be a tricky campaign for Malaysia considering the amount of star quality they are without -- and it is important for expectations to be adjusted accordingly.
Based on their opening display, it does look like it might be a trying campaign for the undermanned Harimau Malaya.