YANGON – The Harimau Malaya squad suffered an early setback when their defender Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee was spotted using crutches after the 2022 Asean Football Federation Cup (AFF) Group B opener against Myanmar here last night.
Khuzaimi was taken off the field on a buggy at the end of the match’s first half at Thuwunna Stadium and used crutches when he boarded the team bus later.
However, national head coach Kim Pan-gon has not yet been able to confirm the severity of the injury and is still awaiting a report from the medical team before taking any further action.
“I will meet with our medical team to analyse the situation and will make a decision after that. We want to protect our players in case there are serious injuries, but hopefully it was just a knock,” he told a post-match press conference here.
In yesterday’s match, Malaysia grabbed three vital points after beating Myanmar 1-0. Winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim scored the winning goal for the national team in the 52nd minute.
Myanmar, however, had a chance to equalise but the penalty taken by substitute striker Myat Kaung Khant was successfully saved by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed.
Meanwhile, national defender Sharul Nazeem Zulpakar said Ahmad Khuzaimi’s absence will impact the team as he is the first choice for the position.
“...but we have a substitute, (Muhammad) Fazly Mazlan, so I think he has to take advantage for the next game,” he said. – Bernama, December 22, 2022
