PETALING JAYA: Malaysian women’s football team coach Soleen Al-Zoubi has likened their tough Group A opener against Vietnam as a race between a Kia and a Ferrari.
The Vietnamese are one of the gold medal contenders in the Cambodia SEA Games and will also be featuring in the World Cup in New Zealand in July.
But the Malayan Tigress won’t be intimidated by their opponents’ standing when they clash tomorrow at the RCAF Old Stadium in Phnom Penh.
Soleen says her charges are highly driven to “race until they break the wheels of the Ferrari”.
“We’re in a tough group and we know the score. We’ll be facing sides who will play in the World Cup, like Vietnam and the Philippines,” she said.
“You can’t compare men’s and women’s football. One may say, if the men’s team can beat Vietnam and Thailand, but why can’t the women?
“But you have to understand that Vietnam and the Philippines women are like the men’s teams of Japan and Australia.
“You can’t have a race between a Ferrari and a Kia, but you try to race until you break the wheels of the Ferrari. So, we will try to make life tough for these top sides.”
The Malaysian team have been preparing for more than a month, with Soleen doing lots of on and off-the-field work to ensure they’ll be ready for the major assignment.
She has also selected a lot of youngsters who lack international experience.
“We’ve done the tactical and mental work, and the players have responded very well. They’re young and eager to learn, and have shown good fighting spirit. They are a team for the future, but they can also make an impression in this competition.”
Apart from Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, the other teams in Group A are Myanmar and Indonesia.
