KUALA LUMPUR – The Bukit Jalil National Stadium plays host to the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers Group E matches starting today, and the iconic venue returns to its glory as an estimated 85,000 fans made their way in.
Wearing the yellow and black colours of the Harimau Malaya, eager fans would be expecting a good result from the team as they take on Turkmenistan for their first match in the campaign.
Before kick-off, the outer perimeter of the stadium was filled with vendors and traders selling various knick-knacks, from jerseys to Malaysian street-food favourites.
Speaking to one of the jersey sellers, Mustafa Sulaiman said it felt good to be back in the national stadium with the Harimau Malaya atmosphere in the air.
“It feels good to see fans back in the stadium and be in good spirits for the game.
“For me, it’s even better as so many of the supporters want to buy our national jersey to show their support for our players,” he told The Vibes.
Mustafa even praised the national squad for the improvements in their game.
“I saw both the friendly matches against Brunei and Hong Kong. Malaysia has made some good developments in their game.
“The most obvious being their attacking style, they have a proper system now,” he added.
Before the Malaysia-Turkmenistan match, Bahrain took on Bangladesh at 5.15pm kick-off time, and supporters had already begun to slowly trickle in to find their seats and get comfortable.
After today’s match, Malaysia will play Bahrain on June 11, followed by Bangladesh on June 14.
Meanwhile, authorities announced that LRT operation hours will be extended for spectators leaving the stadium after the final whistle.
The last train heading towards Sentul Timur will depart Bukit Jalil station at 12.03am, while the train heading towards Putra Heights will leave the station at 12.44am.
They also announced that there will be additional trains to ferry spectators home after the match.
Those who need to get on the Kelana Jaya LRT line can switch at Masjid Jamek station, while those switching to the Kajang MRT route can do so at Plaza Rakyat station. – The Vibes, June 8, 2022
