Outplayed: Malaysia’s Arif Aiman Hanapi shielding the ball from New Zealand’s Liberato Cacace during the friendly game in Auckland which the Kiwis won 4-0. — FAM
PETALING JAYA: National football coach Pau Marti Vicente hopes that the experience gained from the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand last month will be the best motivation for the players to rise to the challenge in the upcoming friendly match against India next Monday.
The national squad, who are ranked 133rd in the world, were up against Laos (ranked 187th) in Bangkok at press-time before flying to Hyderabad to face India, ranked 125th next.
The Spanish coach insisted that the experience during the training camp in Auckland should be the best guide for them in their mission to show better performances and get positive results.
“I’ve told the players that we can’t forget that match (against New Zealand).
“This match should always be in our minds.
“The match was a quality match, we gave our best but of course we have to show improvement in some areas that are needed.
“We are aware that we will face a challenge when we play on the opponent’s court.
“That’s why this match (against the Kiwis) needs to be used as a guide for us to rectify our weaknesses in preparation for the match against higher ranked India,” said Vicente.
For the record, the matches against Laos and India serves as the final preparations of the national squad before competing in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup scheduled for early December.
The AFF Cup competition this time saw the national squad drawn in Group A with the defending champions Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia and also Timor-Leste.
At the last AFF Cup two years ago, Malaysia reached the semi-finals before bowing out 1-3 on aggregate to eventual champions Thailand.
