The European Team needs to win just four of the Saturday Singles deciding matches to be assured of victory in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

This despite the Asia Team dominating the Friday foursomes encounter to reduce Europe’s lead to four points – 7 to 3.

At one stage it looked as though Thongchai Jaidee’s side might recreate the whitewash Miguel Angel Jiménez’s Europe produced in the opening day fourballs, but by taking the session 3-2 Asia still kept their hopes alive going into Saturday’s ten singles matches.

Prayad Marksaeng and Kim Hyung-sung beat Thomas Björn and Thorbjørn Olesen and Anirban Lahiri and Siddikur Rahman overcame Joost Luiten and Victor Dubuisson on the final green.

Jamie Donaldson all smiles with he and Graeme McDowell undefeated in the EurAsia Cuo. (Photo: David Lloyd/www.golffile.ie)

It could have been even better for the home side, who at one point led in four of the matches and were level in the other, with Europe Captain Jiménez helping deny Jaidee victory in the inaugural event.

For the second day running the 50 year old Jiménez made two eagles at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club before a superb approach to the 18th set up team-mate Pablo Larrazábal for a birdie to snatch half a point against Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and Stephen Gallacher also halved their match with Koumei Oda and Hideto Tanihara thanks to a birdie on the 17th, although the European pair missed another birdie chance on the last to win having let slip a three hole lead.

Europe’s only winners were Graeme McDowell and Jamie Donaldson, who came from behind for the second match running to beat Gaganjeet Bhullar and Nicholas Fung 2 and 1.

Jiménez’s side need three and a half points from Saturday’s ten singles matches to secure overall victory.

After losing the opening hole, Björn and Olesen had birdied the third to get back on level terms, but promptly lost the next two holes and were three down after eight thanks to a birdie from their opponents.

Kim converted his team-mate’s excellent tee shot on the par three 12th for another birdie to move four up, and although the European pair reduced the deficit on the next, a par on the 14th was good enough to put Marksaeng and Kim four ahead once more and they claimed Asia’s first point on the 15th.

“It’s good to be first to win today,” said Marksaeng. “This makes the rest of the team more active to fight for tomorrow.”

Kim added: “Today it feels great to win. It was fun and it was good to win with Prayad on my side.

Team Asia Captain, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) refused to go battle in the singles against Team Europe Captain, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) because “he’s just too good” after the second day Foursome matches at the 2014 EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-Hicom, at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Picture: David Lloyd / www.golffile.ie

“We got the good vibes today, and I’d like to go out and root my other teammates and since we won, it will probably give them a little confidence out there and I’d like to be out there rooting my teammates.

“The gloves have to come off. It feels good to win, so tomorrow will be a very critical match and hopefully our team does well.”

In the top match, Larrazábal narrowly missed a long birdie attempt on the 17th to get back on level terms, but made no such mistake from five feet on the 18th after another important contribution from Jiménez.

That meant the spoils were deservedly shared in a high-quality contest with Jiménez earlier holing a bunker shot on the third for an eagle and a putt from 30 feet on the 11th for another, although the latter was only good enough for a half as Aphibarnrat followed him in from close range.

“It was a good fight to have this half point,” said Larrazábal. “We had for two days probably the toughest team, the Thai guys.

“Thongchai is a great player, and the big man is a such a big star, so one point and a half in front of those guys is great for us.”

The third match also finished all square after Gallacher missed from 12 feet on the 18th to snatch victory.

He and Fernandez-Castaño had been three up after ten holes but lost four of the next five – three of them to birdies – to trail by one hole with two remaining, before a superb tee shot from the Spaniard led to a birdie on the 17th.

McDowell and Donaldson were three down after seven on Thursday and two down after eight today, but were thereafter gifted a number of holes by mistakes from their opponents.

Pars were good enough to win the ninth, 13th, 15th and 16th and they sealed victory with another par on the 17th after an excellent bunker shot from McDowell.

“We played a lot of good golf in the middle there, and their guys sort of took their foot off the pedal a little bit on a few holes and gave us a couple,” said Donaldson.

“We played pretty solid all the way through, a couple more putts here and there, and we’d have been in a much stronger position but we’re very happy with the result.”

Luiten and Dubuisson had been one up with seven to play but lost the 12th and 13th and made a mess of the par five 16th to lose it to a par.

And although they won the 17th, they were unable to birdie the last and Lahiri held his nerve to hole from seven feet to secure victory.