PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Harimau Malaya are keeping a close watch on Nepal who could threaten their unbeaten record under coach Peter Cklamovski ahead of their Group F match in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil next Tuesday.
The Gorkhalis have just recorded a 2-2 draw with Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday.
They even came close to stunning the home team after Rohit Chand and Anata Tamang struck to cancel out Bangladesh’s two-goal advantage, both goals having been scored by Leicester player Hamza Choudhury.
Cklamovski stressed the importance of securing a win against Nepal as it would give his team a strong advantage when the Asian Cup Qualifiers resume next year.
Hard at work: Harimau Malaya players at a training session. — Malaysia NT
After five days of centralised training involving 27 players, he expressed satisfaction with the commitment shown by the squad and agreed to grant them a one-day break before they face the crucial match next Tuesday.
“Camp has been going in a positive direction. The first two days were a split group with some players doing recovery and another group training,” said Cklamovski.
“Yesterday was a really good session and it was the first full training with the entire team.
“It is important we picked up big wins in October with six points and it is important we take that momentum into this camp and into this tough game against Nepal.
“We reviewed the game two days ago from an analysis perspective to see how we can improve our game against any opponent we face.”
Since taking over in January, the Australian-born coach has guided Malaysia to six wins and one draw in seven matches, including friendlies.
Cklamovski’s first assignment with Harimau Malaya began with a 2-0 win over Nepal in the opening match of the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Malaysia also ended an 11-year drought against Vietnam with a 4-0 win, with seven Latin mixed-heritage players who are now suspended by FIFA featuring in the match.
Other results under Cklamovski include a 1-0 win over Palestine, a 2-1 triumph against Singapore, and two dominant wins over Laos, 3-0 and 5-1.
The only draw recorded by Harimau Malaya under Cklamovski was a 1-1 stalemate against Cape Verde.
Cape Verde had previously beaten Malaysia 3-0, but that match was a closed-door game and not considered an official friendly under the FIFA calendar.
