Harimau Muda show maturity as they hold star-studded Sabah

Fiery form: National Under-23 player T. Saravanan (second from right) celebrates his goal with his teammates during the friendly against Sabah. — Photo by FAM

PETALING JAYA: It was only a friendly match but a draw with Super League team Sabah has put the national Under-23 team in a positive mood ahead of the AFF Under-23 championships.

Brad Maloney’s Harimau Muda will be leaving to Phnom Penh on Feb 12 for the tournament scheduled from Feb 14-26.

What made Maloney happy was that his under-strength team were able to hold star-studded Sabah to a 1-1 draw in their first competitive match this year at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.

They took the lead through winger T. Saravanan in the 76th minute before Sabah grabbed the equaliser in the 81st minute through midfielder Stuart Wilkins.

It is a decent result as the youngsters faced players like goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, midfielder Baddrol Bakhtiar, wingback Rizal Ghazali and foreigners like Indonesian winger Saddil Ramdani and Brazilian centreback Jackson Souza.

“I am very pleased with the result. Our squad have many new players but they played without fear, created some good chances, especially in the first-half and showcased some good combination plays,” said Maloney.

“I am only seeing positives at the moment. The boys have shown great commitment and desire to win.

“We have few more friendlies to test the players. I want to give everyone a chance to play and prove themselves before naming the 28 for the Cambodia trip.”

The boys will start their Group B campaign against Myanmar at the Prince Stadium on Feb 15.

They face Laos at the same venue on Feb 18 and play their final group match against Indonesia at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on Feb 21.

Three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals on Feb 24 and the top two will battle it out for the title on Feb 26.

Maloney is using the tournament to choose his best team for the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup squad in Uzbekistan in June.

Meanwhile, Maloney revealed that US-based Wan Ahmad Kuzri Wan Ahmad Kamal is running out of time to report for their training camp.

“We have not heard anything from him in the last 24 hours. We’ll decide soon,” he said.

Maloney was hoping to include Kuzri in the squad for Cambodia but apparently the player is facing some issues back in the US, leaving the coach no choice but to make a quick decision.

The last time the 20-year-old midfielder participated in the national team’s central training camp was with the national Under-19 squad in August 2020.