Malaysian fans are already gearing up for the AFF Suzuki Cup this weekend as the national squad closed its preparation period with a 2-1 win over Papua New Guinea this evening.
Datuk Ong Kim Swee only wanted one friendly clash before the regional tournament, and the Tigers showed plenty of encouraging signs at the Shah Alam Stadium today.
Nigel Danyibaba put the visitors ahead on the 6th minute mark, much to the dismay of approximately 4,500 fans within the stadium, but the Tigers upped their tempo almost instantly, as they pushed for the equalizer.
Their relentless pursuit culminated in Hazwan Bakri restoring parity on the 21st minute mark, making it 1-1. They went on to create a few more chances in the first half, particularly through Amri Yahya’s free-kick as well as Darren Lok’s persistence.
While the score remained tied at half-time, it only took Malaysia two minutes to seize the lead, as soon as the second half was kicked off. Darren Lok showed tremendous determination to power into Papua’s penalty box, where he was brought down by a defender. The referee instantly pointed to the spot, and Amri Yahya converted the penalty-kick to make it 2-1.
Ong Kim Swee went on to make a series of substitutions, introducing the likes of Norshahrul, Safee Sali, Hadin Azman and even S. Veenod into the game. These changes altered Malaysia’s attacking dimension, but the lack of a midfield enforcer (read = Brendan Gan) meant that Papua were constantly able to penetrate through their midfield.
Thankfully for the home side, they did more than enough to hold on and secure their first victory since four key players, including Safiq Rahim, retired from international football back in July.
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