KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — The Harimau Malaya squad put up a disappointing performance, in a scoreless draw against the Philippines in an international friendly at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium, near here, this evening.
The national squad earned its first goal in the 12th minute through Amiridzwan Taj Tajudin, who headed the ball through a free kick from Mohd Amri Yahyah, but it was cancelled by referee Mohd Amirul Izwan for being in an offside position.
The match stopped in the 31st minute after staunch supporters of the national team, Ultras Malaya, lighted flares and threw a smoke bomb onto the field. The match resumed after seven minutes.
The squad continued attacking for the first goal through an attempt by Bobby Gonzales in the 49th minute, but still failed after the opponent’s goalkeeper, Patrick Phillip Dey managed to save it.
Temporary national coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee made two changes by bringing in Mohd Badhri Baddrol Radzi and Mohd Hafiz Bakhtiar to replace Mohd Hafiz Kamal and Bobby Gonzales to strengthen the attack but the squad still failed to penetrate the visiting team’s defence.
The visiting team had the opportunity to break the deadlock in the 60th minute through striker Philip James Younghusband but the ball was saved by Harimau Malaya goalkeeper Mohd Khairul Mohd Khalid Dani and the result, both teams tied scoreless until the end of the match.
Kim Swee said after the match: “We had a lot of scoring chances, especially in the second half. I was wondering why the goal by Amiridzwan was not allowed (by the referee). Our players tried their best and deserve praise for their hardwork.”
“I must admit the interference by the fans (Ultras Malaya) had affected the rhythm or tempo of the game,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said he would seek doctor’s advice on some injured players before making a final decision on the list of players to be taken for a match in Dubai, UAE.
Malaysia will face Yemen in the last match of Group D of the 2015 Asian Cup qualifier in UAE on March 5. — Bernama
