PETALING JAYA – Harimau Malaya needs to score as many goals as possible in the first leg of the 2022 Asean Football Federation Cup semi-final against Thailand at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium tonight to secure a comfortable margin before next Tuesday’s return leg in Bangkok.
Experienced striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, better known as Mat Yo, said scoring a lot of goals here will give the national team an advantage when they face the uphill task of playing at the Thammasat Stadium.
“I know this Thai squad, the majority of their players have quite extensive experience. The Thai league is also in a better position than us, so I advise our players to look for early goals and go for as many as possible before travelling to Bangkok,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters after the Al-Ikhsan Sports x The Messi Brand Launch Ceremony at Republik Bola Sepak, Sunway Pyramid here yesterday.
In the meantime, Norshahrul was optimistic with the plans of head coach Kim Pan-gon, whom he described as full of tactics and quality, and capable of taking Malaysia to the prestigious tournament’s final.
He added that Harimau Malaya must continue to be disciplined and maintain the current momentum when playing in tonight’s match. – Bernama, January 7, 2023
