PETALING JAYA: Goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi turned saviour as his brilliant save in injury time ensured Malaysia three points in the bag in their opening AFF Mitsubishi Cup Group B match at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.
The slim 1-0 win over Myanmar yesterday will be a good confidence booster for Malaysia ahead of tougher opposition to come in Group B but also laid to rest the ghosts of the 2016 defeat.
It was in the 2016 tournament when Harimau Malaya lost 0-1 to Myanmar in Yangon and eventually failed to reach the semi-finals.
The side handled by South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon can be grateful to Syihan, who made a correct judgment to dive to the left to parry off Win Naing Tun’s penalty kick towards the end of the match.
In a match that took place in front of 2,500 home fans, Pan-gon made only one change in the starting line-up from the last warm-up action when they defeated Maldives 3-0 at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras last week.
Sabah mainstay Stuart Wilkin was chosen over Mukhairi Ajmal to steer the midfield with Brendan Gan.
However, the pace of the national team was relatively slow in the first 20 minutes as Myanmar piled on the pressure with several dangerous attempts.
The home team were served an early warning through Hein Htet Aung’s attempt outside the penalty box in the eighth minute before Aung Kaung Mann’s strike was successfully blocked.
Malaysia, however, kept on going and were rewarded in the 52nd minute as striker Faisal Halim scored what turned out to be the only goal of the match.
Faisal slotted home the ball past Myanmar goalkeeper Kyaw Zin Phyo after receiving a pass from captain Safawi Rasid.
Faisal was pleased to be the match-winner for Malaysia.
“I’m very happy with the win, it was a tough and crucial game for us. We came here for the three points and we got it. I thank the Malaysian fans who came here to support us,” said Faisal after the match.
“We need to bring this momentum to the next. Every single game is important in this competition.
“This win is not just about my goal, it was a team effort ... We win as a team and if we lose, we lose as a team.
“In the first half, we struggled but in the second half we improved and scored the winner. Myanmar played well and I wish them good luck in their next game.”
Harimau Malaya will host Laos this Saturday in their second group match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Other teams in Group B are Vietnam and Cambodia.
In the AFF Cup last year, Malaysia failed to reach the semi-finals and it led to the resignation of coach Tan Cheng Hoe.
Pan-gon took over the reins at the beginning of this year.
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