KUALA LUMPUR − The national men’s futsal squad has kept their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals of the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Championship alive after beating Brunei 10-0 in their Group A match in Bangkok today.
The game at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium saw three national players, namely Ekmal Shahrin, Mohamad Sufri Shamil and Joshua Lee each score two goals to help Malaysia bounce back after being humiliated by Indonesia 1-5 in their second group action yesterday.
Malaysia, who clearly dominated the match, sounded an early warning through Abu Haniffa Hasan in the fifth minute but his powerful shot only stopped at the left post of Brunei’s goal before Ekmal took advantage of the country’s counterattack when he calmly pushed the ball into the opponent’s goal to open the scoring three minutes later.
Brunei found itself in a pickle when Jumatatulalesharezan Metali pushed the ball into his own net in the 18th minute due to Haniffa’s hard attempt, thus putting Malaysia comfortably ahead 2-0 heading to the locker room.
In the second half, the national team became more aggressive when they scored two goals through Sufri in the 21st and 22nd minutes followed by Haniffa for the fifth goal in the 33rd minute while Muhammad Farhan Khairul Anuar also scored in the 33rd minute as well as Ekmal a minute later.
Joshua scored two quick goals in the 37th minute before Muhammad Aidil Shahril Rosli continued to punish Brunei to complete Malaysia’s big victory in the 38th minute.
The national squad, which collected six points after three matches, will now have to beat the hosts in a must-win mission in their final Group A match tomorrow to secure a slot in the semi-finals.
In their first game last Saturday, Malaysia opened the campaign with a narrow 7-6 victory over Cambodia.
Malaysia’s head coach Chiew Chun Yong said he was glad the team put up an incredible performance against Brunei today.
“The boys showed their positive drive despite the loss to Indonesia yesterday.
“They kept their focus and followed the game plan well and that’s why we see a positive outcome today,” he told Bernama.
Chun Yong said the team was adapting very well since their opening match against Cambodia on Saturday.
“Tomorrow, we will play against Thailand. We will definitely put up a good fight.
“I wish we will win the game, but they are the favourites and the better team. However, as long as the boys have a strong will and desire, we can upset Thailand,” he added. – Bernama, April 5, 2022
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