I’m your man: Harith Haiqal (left) celebrates his goal with Zikri Khalili. — FAM
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Under-23 football team showed they could break an ice-cold China side with a late goal for a 1-0 win at the Shanghai Jinshan Sports Centre Stadium in Shanghai yesterday.
The decisive shot came in the 95th minute and gave an indication that our Harimau Muda have what it takes to compete against top Asian nations at this level.
Centreback Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar was the hero on the chilly night in Shanghai when he finished off a corner with a deft header to beat Chinese goalkeeper Huang Zihao.
Coach Juan Torres Garrido was satisfied with the outcome of the game but knows some rectification needs to be done in order for his side to be better in the next game.
“Coaches are never completely happy. We always look for aspects to improve on. The performance was good.
“We tried to adjust and improve as the game went on. It was satisfying at the end of the day,” said the Spaniard.
“Playing twice against the same team, it becomes difficult because there will be emotions involved because they lost the last game.
“We will review and work on the attacking side, making sure we’re efficient in the opposition box. We want to be a bit more compact too.”
Malaysia will face the Chinese side again on Tuesday and hopes to wrap up their Shanghai tour with another win and go into 2024 with renewed hope.
Captain Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi wants his teammates to be better in possession in their next game.
“In terms of tactics, we were good but we must be better with our ball possession and in the front third, be more composed.”
