PETALING JAYA: The Young Tigers continued to struggle Down Under, falling to a 1-5 defeat at the hands of the Australian Under-21 side in Brisbane yesterday.
Malaysia had started promisingly, holding the Aussies 1-1 at halftime with a penalty corner conversion by Khairul Norizam drawing them level after the hosts had taken the lead.
However, Australia scored four goals in the second half – in the 33rd, 44th, 49th and 59th minutes – to secure another comprehensive victory against the Young Tigers helmed by I. Vikneswaran.
Malaysia are preparing for the Junior Asian Cup to be held in December and Vikneswaran said the tour of Australia was to give the newly assembled squad the exposure.
In the first three matches, Australia won 4-2, 5-2 and 2-0. The Malaysians are set to play the Queensland state side today and again on Monday before returning home. The Queensland Blades are one of the top teams in the Australian Premier League.
“I am definitely not happy with the scoreline but the players are on a learning curve and these matches will make them tougher,” said Vikneswaran.
“We are in a process of building this team towards the Junior Asia Cup and the defeats will also give us an opportunity to gauge the team’s current level.
“We are able to identify individual weaknesses of the players and rectify them once we return to Malaysia.”
The Junior Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh in December where three teams will qualify for the 2025 Junior World Cup.
Malaysia can reach the Junior World Cup even if they finish fourth at the Junior Asian Cup provided that India, who are already through as hosts, also make it to the semi-finals in Bangladesh.
