KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — The Malaysian football squad's lack of focus at the end of the first half was the main reason for the 0-6 defeat against Palestine in their return leg of the 2018 World Cup/2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Jordan, yesterday.
The squad interim head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee said he admitted that the third goal by Palestine's player, Ahmed Abunahia in the 45th minute of the match at the Amman International Stadium, had clearly “killed” the squad's spirit, thus putting them in a difficult position to reduce the goal deficit.
He said the high and long pass tactics used by Palestine's coach, Abdal Nasser Barakat, had trapped the national football team, which was unable to stop the relentless home team.
“Of course I do not expect that we will loose by a big margin again. This is a bad result,” he told reporters after the match.
The audio clip of the interview was made available to Bernama.
As such, Kim Swee urged the national players to forget the defeat and focus on the next match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Shah Alam Stadium on Tuesday (Nov 17).
“Any changes that need to be made, we will do it. I know that UAE is not an easy opponent but the players need to bounce back immediately,” he said.
The Harimau Malaya went down 6-0 to Palestine on June 16 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here.
Malaysia remained in fourth place in Group A with four points through one win, one draw and four defeats.
Their last match is against Saudi Arabia in March next year after the match against the UAE. — Bernama
