PETALING JAYA: Malaysia football team coach Peter Cklamovski (pic) praised his players’ resilience and discipline after Harimau Malaya ended a 24-year wait to beat Palestine, describing the 1-0 victory as a hard-earned arm wrestle.
A second-minute strike from striker Joao Figueiredo proved decisive at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Monday (Sept 8), but Cklamovski was just as impressed by the way his side defended their lead under pressure.
"I’m proud of the performance and the victory. Lots of positives to take home tonight," said Cklamovski.
"We were defensively strong, especially towards the latter stages when Palestine were looking for the equaliser. We had patterns of play that could expose them and we got the goal."
Malaysia could have extended their lead in the first half with chances for Gabriel Palmero and Figueiredo, but Cklamovski was pleased with how his players implemented the game plan.
"We spoke about getting a good start and our first half was excellent. We had a few chances early in the game and could have had more than one. We want to create chances and score goals. To get this win against Palestine is good. We won the arm wrestle."
The coach also noted the impact of squad rotation, with seven changes made from the draw against Singapore last week.
"Two separate games - you reflect and analyse. We had seven that didn’t play against Singapore, but the boys executed their principles well."
While he admitted the tempo dropped after half-time following substitutions, he stressed the importance of staying grounded.
"The second half dropped when we made changes but we took some positives. We stay humble and look to keep winning."
The result marked Malaysia’s first victory over Palestine since a 4-3 triumph in 2001 under the late Allan Harris, with Hairuddin Omar scoring twice that day.
The last encounter in 2015 had ended in a 6-0 defeat, making this win all the more significant for Harimau Malaya.
For Cklamovski, however, the focus is already shifting forward.
"We’ll enjoy this moment, but we must keep improving. The target is always progress, always winning."
