KUALA LUMPUR – The national Under-22 football squad managed to pull off an impressive feat by qualifying for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup finals without conceding a single goal in their undefeated run.
Former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Technical Director Datuk Ong Kim Swee said the national youth team did not have things easy as they entered the recent qualifiers without being exposed to any international friendlies.
The team, coached by Brad Maloney, exhibited great character throughout the qualifying campaign in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and understood the importance of its main mission of earning maximum points in every match they played, he said.
“When the players went to Mongolia, they knew they had to achieve the results, a win, no matter how thin the margin, is still a win, and is important enough to get them to Uzbekistan next year.
“We know from the 23 players sent to Mongolia, 15 can still play in the next qualifiers or the 2024 Olympics qualifiers. This is important because when they qualify, they will be exposed to even more quality teams,” he told the media.
Malaysia booked their berth to the finals of the U-23 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan after emerging Group J champions with 1-0 wins over Laos and Mongolia before ending the qualifiers with a goalless draw against Thailand.
This is the second time the national youth team qualified for the finals of the championship since it was organised in 2014.
The Under-22 squad had previously qualified for the 2018 finals in China after finishing second in the group stage before losing 1-2 to South Korea in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Kim Swee, who is currently coaching Sabah FC, praised the tactics Maloney, who served as his assistant during his tenure as the Under-22 coach, had instilled in the current team.
“In terms of results, we can see they (the players) know how to win, and their gameplay can be said to be excellent.
“If we look at the matches that took place in Mongolia with unsuitable pitch conditions, it would have hampered the teams’ ability to move the ball or play according to the way they trained and affect their game plan,” he added. – Bernama, November 2, 2021
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