KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) wants the Harimau Malaya squad under the guidance of Tan Cheng Hoe to remain consistent after defeating Timor Leste 7-1 in the first play-off of the 2022 World Cup / 2023 Asian Cup qualifier last night.

Its president, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, in a media statement posted on FAM’s official Facebook page expressed hope that the national team would keep up the tempo and play better in the second leg match.

“It was a great start by the Harimau Malaya squad as they showed great spirit even during the Hari Raya week. I also hope that the Harimau Malaya squad will remain focused on ensuring a win to advance into the second round of the qualifiers in September,” he said.

Harimau Malaya will play their second leg against Timor Leste on Tuesday (June 11) at the same venue and Malaysia needs to secure an aggregate win to advance into the second round of the qualifiers.

Advertisement

The six winners from the first round, including the winner of the Malaysia-Timor Leste play-offs, will be joined by the 34 highest-ranked teams in Asia in the next round, including the newly-crowned Asian Cup champions and the 2022 World Cup host, Qatar.

In the second round, scheduled for September, the 40 teams will be drawn into eight groups, where only the group winners and four best second-placed teams will earn places in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers and automatic slots to the 2023 Asian Cup. — Bernama