Staying focused: Malaysia’s Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin (right) vying for the ball with an Uzbekistan player. — FAM
PETALING JAYA: National Under-23 head coach Juan Torres Garrido is hoping for a different approach in the attacking department to turn their misery into joy when they face Vietnam tomorrow.
The Harimau Muda were off to a poor start at the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup when they went down 0-2 to Uzbekistan in their first Group D fixture at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.
They have a chance to make amends against Vietnam tomorrow, before their final group stage match against Kuwait on April 23.
Malaysia had no shots on goal against the 2018 edition champions Uzbekistan, and Garrido admitted that the frontline needed more attention.
“The way we want to attack needs a bit of extra work, we spent more time in our half because we were facing strong opponents,” said Garrido.
“In future games, we need to improve on the ways that we try to reach the opponents’ half.”
Syahir Bashah (right) in action. — FAM
The opening minutes of the match were intense with Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin sending a volley just over the bar before Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Jalolid–dinov tested keeper Azim Al Amin with a ground shot from outside the box.
But Uzbekistan got their breakthrough in the 11th minute as Jaloliddinov converted a spot-kick after Syahir Bashah tackled his feet inside the box.
Malaysia didn’t give Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvakhid Nematov a tough time as he had no shots coming in his direction throughout the match.
Uzbekistan coach Timur Kapadze’s men then sealed their win in the 83rd minute after Ulugbek Khoshimov tapped in a loose ball.
This was the fourth penalty the Harimau Muda have given away in the last three matches.
The other three came from the friendlies leading up to the tournament where Malaysia lost 1-2 to China on April 4 and 1-0 to Qatar on April 7.
China got both their goals through penalty kicks while it was the same story in the fixture against Qatar, and Garrido said the recurring spot-kick giveaways is something that needs to be addressed.
“It is becoming a problem, which means we are defending for too long near our box,” he said.
“The penalty against Uzbekistan was avoidable, so this is something we need to work on and improve before our next match.”
The Asian Cup is a qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics. The top three finishers in Doha will qualify on merit to the Paris Olympics.
Another slot for Asia will be determined through a playoff against African nation Guinea.
