KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 ― Malaysian head coach Dollah Salleh is dismayed at his players who gave up and lost their fighting spirit during a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Palestine yesterday.
He said although they were told to stage a fight back during the break, the players could not recover and stage a fight back, resulting in the 0-6 defeat to the visitors.
“The start of the second half seemed good when several attacks were launched but when we conceded the fourth goal to Palestine, the players appeared to have given up. I must make changes, maybe I will change half the players.
“We must change in terms of character and everything..We must make a more careful preparation after this,” he said after the match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, last night.
Palestine, which changed 17 players after its first appearance at the 2015 Asia Cup in Australia in January, took a 3-0 first half lead before doubling the score in the second half.
Palestine scored via Musab Battat in the eighth minute, Sameh Maraaba (22nd, 74th minute), Tameer Seyam (41st, 85th) and Khader Abuhammad (63rd minute).
Asked if he was quitting as the Harimau Malaya coach, Dollah said: “I am not a coward..I am not panicking but I am disappointed at what was shown by the players.”
Subsequently, Malaysia would meet English Premier League Club Liverpool in a friendly at the National Stadium on July 24, before continuing its qualifying campaign against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 3. ― Bernama
