PETALING JAYA: A thumping win has rekindled hope, but the battle is far from over.
Malaysia’s young football squad gave themselves a fighting chance of reaching the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Finals with a crushing 7-0 triumph over Mongolia on Saturday.
Yet, the real test awaits as they must now pull off something special to book their spot in Saudi Arabia next year.
Head coach Nafuzi Zain was pleased with the emphatic win, saying the margin was vital to keep their qualification hopes alive, especially after Thailand were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw by Lebanon.
It was also a much-needed response after his players had stumbled in their opening qualifier, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Lebanon last Wednesday.
The results have thrown Group F wide open. Thailand still lead the standings but are level on four points with Lebanon, while Malaysia trail close behind on three. Mongolia remain bottom without a point from two matches.
Only the group winners and the four best runners-up across all groups will qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Finals.
“Congratulations to the players for bouncing back after the defeat to Lebanon. Winning 7-0 is a big result and the goals are crucial for us heading into the next stage,” said Nafuzi after the match.
“We needed a big-margin victory, but the real challenge still lies ahead. There is only one way for us to move forward, and that is by beating Thailand.
“In terms of the players’ confidence after this match against Mongolia, it has certainly grown, but we must remain fully focused on facing Thailand.”
Saturday’s clash at the Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok saw Fergus Tierney firing a hattrick, while Aliff Izwan struck twice. Aysar Hadi and Ziad El Basheer also got their names on the scoresheet.
However, tomorrow’s clash against Thailand will be anything but easy.
Nafuzi believes that if his players can stay fully focused and cut down the mistakes, they may just be able to produce something magical in front of the home crowd.
“We know the quality that Thailand have, which is on a different level compared to us, but in football anything can happen.
“What matters most is that we continue to work hard and believe in ourselves,” he added.
