Fumbling: Natxo Insa (left) and Bahrain’s midfielder Ali Hassan vie for a header during the Asian Cup Group E match in Doha. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: It was not a performance to remember for midfielder Natxo Insa in the second Group E game of the Asian Cup against Bahrain.
But the 37-year-old is ready to make amends.
He wants to move on from the 0-1 defeat and show what Malaysia are capable of in the final group game against South Korea at the Jassim Hamad Stadium on Thursday.
Natxo came in the second half replacing Syamer Kutty Abba, who had been impressive in the first half with his contribution in midfield.
In just his second cap for Malaysia and also his first outing in the Asian Cup, Natxo only won 33% of his defensive duels, which is only two out of six attempts.
In attack, he did better but still lost the ball possession twice during the 45 minutes of play.
That below par performance in a crucial part of the match drew the ire as many felt he didn’t leave the desired impact and failed to help the team cement their tactical organisation against Bahrain.
Naturally, Natxo was disappointed and said he only had one full training session with the squad before the game against Bahrain.
“I was there for only one training session with the team, I tried to help in any way I could, but I think it was not meant to be,” said Natxo, who plies his trade for Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the Super League.
“Now we are sad and are feeling bad because we fought until the last minute.
“We tried to take advantage of the transitions but they had more possession of the ball. We had three to four chances to score, but it didn’t translate into goals.
“We must now focus on recovery and clear our minds. We have another game, we must be professional and move on.”
To Natxo, pressure to perform against South Korea probably could work for Malaysia.
“We have pressure on our backs going into this last group game and we want to do things properly.
“We want the Malaysian public to be proud of us,” he said.
Malaysia are as good as out of contention for the last 16 but it will be a matter of pride when they take on the Asian giants next.
