Spreadeagled: Malaysia’s Paulo Josue (left) is sent sprawling after colliding with Bahrain’s Mohamed Alhardan in their Group E match at the Asian Cup on Jan 20. — AP
PETALING JAYA: Looking at his teammates, Malaysian playmaker Paulo Josue realised how much they exerted themselves physically just to compete against top class opposition in the Asian Cup.
Especially against South Korea, whom the Harimau Malaya held to a 3-3 draw, all the players had to work their socks off without the ball as the Taegeuk Warriors had 85 per cent of possession in the game.
“It was a crazy game. The boys were running all over the place. It wasn’t easy against the South Koreans but it’s a result that’s given us hope for the future,” he said.
“What we showed was the true Malaysian character. That’s something we wanted to show in the tournament and I believe this bodes well for the future.”
The naturalised Brazilian said the Asian Cup was a great learning experience for all the players as they get to savour higher-paced matches.
The 34-year-old said it’s time to learn and reflect on their time in Doha and get even better in the upcoming tournaments, especially with the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers coming up.
“You can see how the team have changed in the last two years. I joined the team last year and I’ve been impressed to see what we have done in terms of national team growth.
“Coach Kim Pan-gon is the right man to lead this team to future success. We must trust the process and ensure we do well in future tournaments.”
