KUALA LUMPUR – Fresh off their 4-0 win over neighbours Brunei, the men’s national football team are looking to maintain their upward momentum when they take on Hong Kong tomorrow at the Bukit Jalil national stadium.
Harimau Malaya’s friendly matches against Brunei and Hong Kong are part of their preparations for the Asian Cup qualifiers starting on June 8.
Head coach Kim Pan-gon said the team will be looking to stay on a winning course ahead of the qualifiers next week.
“Our players have done a great job so far, I feel good and hope tomorrow they bring the passion and energy shown during the match against Brunei.
“These friendly matches serve (as) a good experiment for the players to see how they work with each other and gives me a chance to evaluate the players more realistically on the pitch,” he said at a pre-match press conference today.
Going up against the team he previously coached, Kim said the results of both friendly matches are less important than the team development that comes from them.
“To me, winning one game and losing one game is not important. What is important is how we can build team chemistry and develop team character.
“What matters is how we perform during the Asian Cup qualifiers, we could lose this match but show improvements, which is crucial,” he added.
Team captain and keeper Farizal Marlias said he is looking forward to playing in front of the Malaysian fans who have been deprived of international football during the pandemic.
“We’re playing all the matches at home, so we must use it to our advantage. Show the fans that we need their support and give them a reason to cheer us on,” said the Johor Darul Ta’zim goalkeeper.
He also praised coach Kim’s methods on and off the pitch, “Coaching has been going very well, the players show good commitment with high intensity.”
Meanwhile, Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen looked forward to the challenge his team has ahead of them.
“It has not been an easy time for us as I only arrived in December 2021, I barely got to know the players before the country went into lockdown for almost four months. They could not train together during that time.
“We are not at our 100% but playing against Malaysia will be a good preparation for us before heading to India for our qualifying matches,” said the Norwegian.
After facing Hong Kong, Harimau Malaya will play Turkmenistan on June 8, followed by Bahrain on June 11, and Bangladesh on June 14 in Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. – The Vibes, May 31, 2022
