KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia are through to the semi-finals of the AFF Cup and will take on Thailand this Saturday, January 7, at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, after Harimau Malaya defeated rivals Singapore 4-1 in the final AFF Cup group stage match here today.
The first half was heavily dominated by Harimau Malaya, as they kept the ball in the attacking half, forcing Singapore to defend.
Malaysia had several chances to take the lead early on, with Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim’s header in the 15th minute just slightly over the crossbar.
Bukit Jalil National Stadium erupted with cheers in the 35th minute, as forward Darren Lok headed the ball into the back of the net from a cross, giving Malaysia the lead.
Faisal had another chance to head the ball in, but was just off target to give Malaysia a comfortable cushion going into the second half.
Just five minutes into the second half, midfielder Stuart John Wilkin doubled Malaysia’s lead with a shot from outside the box, which was too much for Singapore keeper Hassan Sunny to keep out.
The number eight player then made it three for Harimau Malaya just four minutes later, scoring his second goal of the night in front of 65,147 spectators.
In the 79th minute, substitute Sergio Aguero came face to face with the Singapore keeper, but was denied the chance to make it 4-0 for Malaysia.
In the 85th minute, Singapore did manage to get a consolation goal by forward Faris Ramli.
But it was not enough for the Lions to catch up to Harimau Malaya, as Aguero made it four for the home side, assisted by Lee Tuck.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan-gon expressed his happiness at winning today’s match.
“I am very proud of the players for an amazing game today.
“I could really witness their passion, desire, hard work, and most importantly their team spirit in today’s match.
The South Korean also added that this was a long awaited moment for all Harimau Malaya players after their loss against Vietnam.
“I was expecting a great game today and the boys proved it with their amazing performance.
“It is not easy to be away from family for so long and to be under pressure to perform well in these types of matches,” he said.
Meanwhile, midfielder Stuart John Wilkin said that he was happy to score two goals in today’s match.
“I am very happy that I could show my potential in today’s match. I believe that we all played well for the fans.
“Not forgetting the coaching staff and the teams’ hard work. The team spirit really helped me a lot to perform well today.
“We just want to continue this spirit in all our matches in order to explore our talents and showcase our potential,” he said.
At the same time, Brendan Gan said that he is looking forward to being able to play the first leg of the semi-finals against Thailand at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
“It’s a big achievement for a team that has been written off from the start. A lot has been said about Malaysia, especially negative things about the team.
“Just being able to put on that type of performance tonight is great. But the job is not finished here. It will be great to play the first semi-final match here against a strong Thailand team.
“Hopefully we can play like how we played today and get the job done,” he said. – The Vibes, January 3, 2023
Additional reporting by Subashini Sivasankar
