Amirul and Co cautious ahead of South Korean challenge

PETALING JAYA: The national sepak takraw team can secure a quarter-final spot in the quadrant event of the World Cup if they beat South Korea in their second Group C match at Stadium Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur today.

But captain Amirul Zazwan Amir has reminded his teammates not to repeat the same mistakes from their opening match against Singapore.

Malaysia started slowly before eventually overcoming Singapore 15-9, 15-13, with a drop in concentration in the second game almost forcing the match into a decider.

Malaysia fielded Afifuddin Razali, Shahalri Aiman Halim, Aidil Aiman Zawawi and Amirul, while Singapore, coached by Ahmad Fauzi Omar, featured Fairuz Azahri, Hairuz Fizly, Youri Adli and Akmal Musyarraf.

Amirul admitted he was not fully happy with his own performance and knows they would need to do better against South Korea.

“Every country has a chance to win.

“It’s quite balanced.

“The team that make fewer mistakes in blocking and serving will have a better chance to win.

“We need to improve our spikes and serves and try to get more points from there. Today I felt both my serves and Aidil’s were not good enough,” said Amirul.

Amirul also expects South Korea to provide a sterner challenge, especially with their strong defensive play and blocking ability.

“They are better than us in blocking.

“A lot of teams now use three or four players for blocking and they are stronger than us in that area.

“We have to admit that.

“But overall, I think the level between all the teams is quite similar,” he added.