KUALA LUMPUR – The chance to test out fresh faces in the national football squad seems to be working in favour for head coach Kim Pan-gon as his first time call ups have shown potential ahead of the AFF Cup.
In their 4-0 win against Cambodia in a Tier 1 International friendly match last night, Pan-gon started seven new players who made their debuts in the national squad.
Goalkeeper Al Hafiz Mat Rowi started the match and claimed his first clean sheet for Harimau Malaya, while forward Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin and defender Muhammad Aliff Izwan Yuslan got their shares of playing time.
Heritage player David Rowley from Sri Pahang FC proved vital in the midfield as he stayed on for the full 90 minutes. But it was a good day at the office for Sabah naturalised player Stuart Wilkin as he scored the fourth and final goal for Malaysia in the 85th minute.
Rowley’s teammate at Sri Pahang and recently naturalised player Lee Tuck showed why he deserved to be on the pitch as the forward created multiple chances for double-goal scorer and captain Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim before bagging his debut goal in the 37th minute.
Experienced Harimau Malaya starter Darren Lok was subbed out to make way for Sri Pahang’s Sergio Aguero to make his debut, who despite not scoring, was finding his role in the national squad in yesterday’s match.
Pan-gon applauded his new players as they showed potential ahead of Harimau Malaya’s AFF Cup campaign, but they will play another Tier 1 International match against Maldives at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium on December 14 before the tournament.
“They have not been long with the team and have been fed so much new information over the past week.
“I am proud of them because they tried their best to achieve a good result. I pushed them and they delivered,” said the 53-year-old at the post-match press conference last night.
Cambodia’s head coach Ryu Hirose even commended 21-year-old V. Ruventhiran for his performance, saying “Even though we were not really taller or bigger than the attackers, but he overcame that with good intensity and pressure playing in left wing defence.
“There is a lot of potential in the new faces for the Malaysian team,” he said.
Malaysia will start their AFF Cup campaign against Myanmar on December 21, followed by Laos on December 24, Vietnam on December 27, and Singapore on January 3. – The Vibes, December 10, 2022
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