Dollah Salleh waxed lyrical about his men after they secured a dramatic 3-1 win over Singapore earlier today, which also ensured their progression into the semi finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup.
Safee Sali had initially opened the scoring for them, but Khairul Amri equalized with 10 minutes left in the game. Malaysia kept pushing and were granted a lifeline right at the death, as the referee pointed to the spot after Amri Yahya was brought down in the box.
Safiq Rahim stepped up to convert the spot kick effectively, before Indra Putra added a third one late into additional time, to give Malaysia a morale-boosting win.
“My players gave their very best, and I’m very proud of the. They never gave up throughout the game,” Dollah told reporters after the game.
“At 1-1 we were slightly worried. We gave away a cheap goal. But attitude wise, my players never gave up, they fought valiantly. I told my players prior to the game, that Singapore will adopt a defensive approach.
“So we needed to be careful with counter attacks and convert when we have the chances. I’m happy with the win.”
While the second goal was crucial, the third one effectively killed off the game. Singapore’s goalie Hassan Sunny rushed up for a corner kick, but the Malaysian defence cleared it, before Indra Putra, who is a well-known veteran of the game in South East Asia, placed it into the back of the net; something that Dollah commended.
“He deserved the goal. There is something special about Indra, that I can say. He can show the youngsters in our team, how things are done.”
Malaysia will face Vietnam in the semi final, with the first leg taking place in Kuala Lumpur on the 7th of December. They will then travel to Hanoi for the second leg on the 11th of December.
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