KUALA NERUS – National team head coach Kim Pan-gon was smiling gleefully after Malaysia thrashed Papua New Guinea 10-0 in a Tier 1 international friendly at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium here, last night.
Pan-gon admitted he was very happy with the players’ commitment after Harimau Malaya displayed a very high-quality and entertaining performance before almost 10,000 spectators at the stadium.
He said what was showcased by his players last night required a lot of effort and hard work in order to meet demands from the coaching staff, besides having to face great pressure to implement the team’s tactics in every match.
“They (players) have always tried to improve the quality of game and it is very important to see them under pressure as we (the coaching staff) came here to change Malaysian football to be positive, dominant, and proactive.
“So for me, I’m happy tonight but this is not the end of the campaign, it’s just one game...but this is the kind of football we want to play against strong teams and that’s our target,” Pan-gon said in his post-match press conference here, last night.
Commenting on the progress made since taking over the team in January last year, Pan-gon said the confidence level of his players is improving with every match even though they struggle sometimes, but what is important is that they are not afraid.
He said fear can affect their concentration thus making it difficult for the team to perform well.
“Like in the second half (last night), that is not something I can teach. It was something that came naturally from the players, it came from the bottom of their hearts...I think their confident’s level has greatly improved.
“And also in the last one and a half years, they tried to understand our game model and tactical approaches. We gave a lot of information to the players, I can see that they are very smart and I’m proud of them,” said the 54-year-old coach.
In last night’s clash, an excellent performance in the second half paved the way for Malaysia's triumph as Pan-gon’s men scored nine goals after taking the lead at the end of the first half through Muhammad Safawi Rasid’s penalty.
Sensational young winger Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi who came as a substitute in the second period and naturalised player Paulo Josue stole the show with four and three goals respectively while other substitutes Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim and Daniel Ting each bagged one goal.
The success saw Harimau Malaya clinch their fourth consecutive friendly victory since last March and record their biggest win since beating Bhutan 7-0 in a friendly in April 2018.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea head coach Harrison Kamake who was surprised by the big defeat said his team's failure to stick to the instructions was why they conceded nine goals in the second half.
“It was tough for my players, obviously Malaysia were the better side, full credit to them,” he said. – Bernama, June 21, 2023
