SEPANG, Aug 18 —The triumph of the national Under-23 football squad over South Korea in their second group E match at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games will be an inspiration to the other athletes to deliver medals.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the 2-1 win by Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s boys over the defending champions was a positive development and would be a hot topic among other contingent members in their respective claim for medals at the Games.
“It is a brilliant start in beating the defending champions and at the same time the national football squad have proved they have the prowess to bring honours to their beloved country.
“It is not only an inspiration to football but it will also inspire other athletes to excel. The football squad have succeeded in breaking the psychological barrier to erase allegations that they can not go far,” he said when met by reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before leaving for Indonesia.
According to him, based on this good start, the national football squad is now confident to continue with their feats in the knockout round.
The national squad now are at the top of group E with six points after two games and will face Bahrain in the last group match on Monday.
Syed Saddiq had earlier announced a target of seven gold medals and the top ten position in the overall medal tally for the country’s 426-strong contingent. — Bernama
