KUALA TERENGGANU – The Tier 1 international friendly against the Solomon Islands tomorrow will provide a different challenge and new experience for the Malaysian football team, who aim to retain their winning momentum.
The match, scheduled to be held at the Terengganu FC home ground, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus, will be the first time these two teams will be playing against each other.
All eyes will be on national head coach Kim Pan-gon and the tactical approach the South Korean will adopt in his bid to overcome the Solomon Islands, who have their own capabilities.
The Solomon Islands, who are coached by Spaniard Felipe Vega-Arango, are ranked 134 in the world while Malaysia are in 138th position after notching two wins during the FIFA international match window in Johor in March.
For tomorrow’s friendly, Vega-Arango’s 23-man team include 24-year-old hotshot Gagame Feni, who has scored 16 goals in 29 matches, and their sole professional player Raphael Lea’i.
The 19-year-old Lea’i, who plays for Bosnian Premier League club FK Velez Mostar, is a rising star in the Solomon Islands thanks to his technical skills and goal-scoring ability.
Joining Lea’i in the national team are two more overseas-based players – Ian Kalu, who plays as a defender with New Zealand club Napier City Rovers, and Marlon Tahioa, who plays in midfield with Fiji’s Suva FC.
Vega-Arango will also be featuring three newcomers from Marist FC – Clavin Ohasio, Ben Fox, and Norman Ngafu – in his bid to get a positive result against Malaysia and extend his team’s unbeaten record.
The Solomon Islands, who play a hard and fast game, are on a good run, having recorded four wins and one draw in their last five outings since last September.
This makes the Solomon Islands dangerous opponents for the national team as Pan-gon strives to form a strong squad ahead of the two important tasks ahead.
Harimau Malaya will take part in the World Cup 2026/Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers from November before taking on South Korea, Jordan, and Bahrain in Group E of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup finals in Qatar next January.
After their two wins in Johor in March, one of the things the national team knew they had to improve was the effectiveness of their attack, with Negri Sembilan striker Muhammad Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi being given the chance to prove his ability after being recalled to the squad.
Pan-gon has also retained the 17 players who featured in Johor, besides naming one newcomer, Selangor FC’s Muhamad Syahir Bashah.
In their last five outings, Malaysia have only lost once – to Thailand in the semi-final of the Asean Football Federation Cup 2022 in January.
Overall, both teams are in good form, although Malaysia look on paper to have the edge.
After the friendly against the Solomon Islands, Harimau Malaya will face Papua New Guinea in another Tier 1 international friendly on June 20. – Bernama, June 13, 2023
