Regu heartbreak fuels Malaysia in team event

KUALA LUMPUR: The quadrant sepak takraw title is already in the bag but it is the team regu event that Malaysia are yearning for at the World Cup.

Barring any major slip-up, national tekong Mohd Syahir Mohd Rosdi is hoping to see Malaysia lock horns with their traditional archrivals Thailand in the final at Titiwangsa Stadium tomorrow.

Syahir sees the failure to defend the regu title earlier in the week as a big motivating factor to get it right in the team event.

Malaysia lost 0-2 to Myanmar in the semi-finals of the regu event on Tuesday.

Myanmar went on to lose 1-2 to Thailand in the final.

The Malaysian camp still had something to cheer for after beating India 2-0 to win the newly introduced quadrant.

“We were slow to gain momentum in the regu semi-final against Myanmar that day. We will iron out our mistakes and be better prepared in the team.

“The team event is very important for the national team.

“It’s like the core of the sport, so whether we like it or not, the minimum target is to advance to the final and hopefully play against Thailand,” said Syahir, who helped Malaysia to end a 34-year gold drought at the Thailand SEA Games in December after beating the hosts 2-1 in the team regu event.

The national team opened their campaign with a straight forward 3-0 win over India in Group B on Wednesday.