KUALA LUMPUR − The previous 1-0 win over Laos is not a guarantee of success for the national Under-23 (U-23) squad ahead of their clash in the inaugural Group B match of the 2022 Asean Football Federation’s (AFF) U-23 Championship tomorrow.
National defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar said Laos proved they were a strong team when he and his teammates only managed to secure a narrow victory against them in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Cup qualifiers in Mongolia last October.
However, he said Malaysia had no choice but to claim victory at the Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia tomorrow to seal their place in the semi-finals.
“As we know from our match in Mongolia, Laos were not an easy team − they defended very well − but we won 1-0.
“So, to me, all players can’t take it easy and consider Laos can be easily beaten. Personally, I believe Laos are a very strong team, but we have no choice but to win to qualify for the semi-finals,” he said in a virtual press conference from the Cambodian capital today.
The Group B competition now only involves Malaysia and Laos after Myanmar and Indonesia, who were also drawn in the group, withdrew from the tournament due to the spread of Covid-19 in their teams.
Only the winners of the three group champions in contention and the best runner-up will advance to the semi-finals on February 24 while the final is scheduled for February 26.
At the same time, the Selangor FC player admitted that the situation of only having one match – as opposed to two or three games − to confirm their slot in the knockout stage puts additional pressure on the national squad.
“Against Laos, the pressure is high because we will be playing only one match to qualify for the semi-finals... but all the players are ready so there is no problem as long as everyone goes all out and gives their best,” he said.
He also urged his teammates, who are made up of mostly new faces compared to the squad in Mongolia, to continue to improve their performance and quickly attain compatibility ahead of the match.
“With players like Azrin (Azrin Afiq Rusmini) and Faiz (Muhammad Faiz Amer Runnizar), who have played in Mongolia, they can guide the new players. I think even the new players are up to the task, they are good,” said the 20-year-old.
Meanwhile, head coach Brad Maloney also admitted that Laos were not an easy team to overcome and that they were further strengthened by their new coach Michael Weiss.
“Of course, we did beat Laos back in October in the AFC qualifiers in Mongolia, but they gave us a very challenging match so I expect the same. I know that the Laos team have the full set of players that we played against in Mongolia, who are registered here to play in this tournament.
“They have a new head coach as well, Michael Weiss. He’s been around South-East Asia for quite a long time and is very experienced. So, I do expect a very tough match against Laos on Friday,” he said. – Bernama, February 17, 2022
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