PETALING JAYA: Coach Kim Pan-gon (pic) has called on Malaysian fans not to lose hope in the ability of Harimau Malaya as they get ready to face 2002 World Cup semi-finalists South Korea in their final Group E match at the Asian Cup today.
The gap between the 23rd ranked team in the world and Malaysia, ranked 107 rungs below, at Al Janoub Stadium today can be likened to heaven and earth but Pan-gon still has hope for his men to somehow accomplish a miracle or at least break the goal deadlock.
Malaysia have yet to find the back of the net, having lost their first two matches.
Malaysia were hammered 0-4 by Jordan, and saw their bid for a comeback crushed after a slim 0-1 defeat to Bahrain last weekend.
Malaysia have not scored against South Korea in a senior match since Dollah Salleh got the winner for a rare win in a World Cup qualifier at the Merdeka Stadium back in 1985.
“For me, it doesn’t matter if we score one or two goals if we have a good preparation. Why can’t the supporters respect us if we don’t win tomorrow?,” said the South Korea-born coach in a press conference ahead of today’s match.
“Palestine and Tajikistan have advanced, so our players need to learn something from them.
“Don’t think this is the last game of the year for us because we still have World Cup qualification.
“The important thing is the preparation to face this challenge.’’Pan-gon may be facing the team of his birth country but he aims to make the match a benchmark and a motivation to meet world class teams in the future.
“South Korea are a world class team but we also want to show something to the Malaysian people.
“It’s important for us to build confidence and learn from tomorrow’s match so we are not afraid to meet other big teams in the future.”
