Daring move: Interim coach Brad Maloney (second from right) and team manager Datuk Kamarul Ariffin Mohd Shahar (third from right) with the Malaysian Under-19 team. Maloney’s rotation policy hit paydirt when Malaysia downed four-time champions Australia in the AFF Under-19 tournament in Vietnam yesterday. — Picture courtesy of FAM.
PETALING JAYA: Champions Malaysia’s are on track to retain their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-19 title when they whipped four-time champions Australia 3-0 in their penultimate Group B match.
The Malaysian team had striker Luqman Hakim Shamsudin to thank for giving them the big win over the physically bigger and highly rated Australians by scoring a brace in the 17th and 39th minute. Muhd Azam Azmi Murad netted the other goal in the 27th minute at the Thanh Long Stadium in Ho Chi Minh yesterday.
