Expecting a tight game: Malaysia’s SEA Games football team players at a training session. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Laos could be a difficult hurdle, or even a potential spoiler, for Malaysia’s under-23 squad in today’s Group B clash at the Thailand SEA Games.
The Laos team, who have not reached the SEA Games semi-finals in 16 years, showed plenty of fighting spirit when they narrowly lost 2-1 to Southeast Asian powerhouse Vietnam in the opening Group B match on Wednesday at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium.
This has raised some concern for national coach Nafuzi Zain, as a win against Laos is crucial to keep Malaysia’s hopes alive for the knockout stage.
Based on his observations, almost the entire Laos squad consist of players who were involved in the Asian Cup qualifying campaign.
With only the group winners and the best runners-up across the three groups advancing to the semi-finals, Nafuzi stressed the importance of a controlled approach.
He wants his players to secure the win without taking unnecessary risks that could complicate their journey in Bangkok.
“What I saw was that Vietnam did not have an easy victory, and Laos even managed to score against them. Laos defend very well, often with many players behind the ball, and they can launch quick counter-attacks. We need to be ready for that, as it is clearly their main weapon,” said Nafuzi.
At the same time, Nafuzi expressed relief at finally being able to finalise the squad for Bangkok, even though he managed to assemble only 19 players for this SEA Games campaign.
The 47-year-old coach had been concerned over the shortage of available players, as many were not released by their clubs for the biennial event. Among them was Sabah striker Fergus Tierney, who was needed for the FA Cup final against Johor Darul Ta’zim on Dec 14.
Nafuzi, however, was relieved that several other players would rejoin the squad after the match against Laos, including Terengganu defender Ubaidillah Shamsul Fazili.
“We finally know the exact number of players ready for our first match, which is 19,” said Nafuzi.
“Sixteen players travelled together from Kuala Lumpur, while the remaining three arrived from Manila after completing their matches in the Asean Club Championships with Selangor.
“Ubaidillah is likely to rejoin us ahead of our clash with Vietnam, but Alif Izwan’s availability is still uncertain,” he added.
