PETALING JAYA: Be solid and consistent, boys.
National Under-20 coach Juan Torres Garrido, while praising his charges who held North Korea to a goalless draw in the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup 2025 qualifiers on Monday, said they needed to be ready for hosts Tajikistan on Friday.
After downing Oman 2-1 on Saturday, Malaysia continued to defy the odds by holding North Korea 0-0 in their second group game.
“They have started well in the qualifying campaign by collecting four points in the first two Group H games,” said Garrido, who is also assistant coach to Pau Marti Vicente in the national team.
“We must be positive. We played against a great team only two days after facing Oman.
“We must do a proper recovery for the players and get them ready for the next game.
“We want the team to keep being solid and consistent.”
Malaysia are second in the group with four points while North Korea are top, also with four points but with a better goal difference.
Garrido said the youngsters in the team have been showing great dedication in training as they look to bring pride to the people back home.
“We must keep it like this. Players are showing that in competitions they give their best, and we must keep showing progress after each game.
“They are very committed and accumulated great experience.
“Sometimes results depend on details but I am proud of how they enjoy facing the competition and I think we still have room to improve.
“We will face another challenging scenario, playing Tajikistan, and I believe that is another chance to keep growing.”
