Malaysia’s first international match under new head coach Nelo Vingada will be happening tomorrow, June 13, against Lebanon.
Harimau Malaya, currently 155th on the FIFA ranking, will be facing 135th placed Lebanon for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers fixture at the Larkin Stadium tomorrow night.
Having defeated Hong Kong back in March, Lebanon, also known as The Cedars, will be looking to keep their winning momentum going against Malaysia.
Speaking to the press during the pre-match press conference, national head coach Nelo Vingada has admitted that it won’t be an easy task to take on The Cedars.
“Out of 24 teams competing for the Asian Cup, we are playing at a level that’s difficult — but it’s still not the top level in Asian football. But even the European championships have limitations.” Vingada told the press.
“Which is why the approach for this game is about being very positive.”
“I feel the players are very motivated, you can ask Safiq Rahim about that. The 26 players that we brought, this is my first contact with them. They are my family, they are my sons.” Vingada added.
“Yes we are weak in some areas. But now is not the time to talk about our weakness. We are also strong in a lot of other areas, and we should focus on that.” the coach said.
“I believe the players understand our feelings better. So hopefully, we’ll have good organization and be a compact team tomorrow.” Vingada concluded.
Vingada, also known as The Professor, went on to add that he doesn’t know much about the Lebanese team, except that they have players playing in better leagues abroad.
However, Vingada stressed that it is better for him to focus on the Harimau Malaya squad and their strengths as a team.
“It’s our first game, it’s a bit difficult. But we will give our best.”
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