Pushing the limits: Malaysia’s Arif Aiman Hanapi in action against Michael Robert Baldisimo of the Philippines. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s hard-fought 2-1 win over the Philippines in the Merdeka Tournament featured some impressive individual performances but as a whole, the team are still adapting to new coach Pau Marti Vicente’s tactics.
Midfielder Syamer Kutty Abba, centreback Feroz Baharuddin, winger Arif Aiman Hanapi and goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi stood out with their fine displays.
Syamer, who scored the Harimau Malaya’s equaliser, was a livewire in midfield while Feroz, despite an own goal, put in a good shift in defence with his interceptions.
Arif was always a handful on the flanks while Syihan pulled off several superb saves to deny the Filipinos a fightback.
Those bright sparks aside, many still feel that the host team could have done better against a side which had only a day of training here before the match at the National Stadium.
The Filipinos showed much passion and aggression in the early stages and were rewarded with the lead after 27 minutes. Their sound organisation also frustrated the Malaysian attack numerous times.
Malaysia, on the other hand, did dominate the game but their passing and movement were not as fluid as they should have been.
While those details merit a strong discussion, Vicente prefers to look at the bigger picture. The Spaniard said the players followed the game plan quite well and got the important result.
“It was a tough game and I believe we deserved the win. In the last 10 minutes, we suffered. The Philippines are physically strong and imposing, which made it hard for us. So, we have to take the positives. We are in the final, which is the most important thing,’’ said Vicente, who is leading Malaysia for the first time on the international stage after years of being an assistant to South Korean Kim Pan-gon.
“We conceded an early goal, which affected the players’ morale. But it was a wake-up call and they raised their efforts after that.
‘’We also found avenues to get the best movements and attacks. The players needed to adapt to different approaches.
“We also conceded a goal from a transition, which we could have avoided. But we managed to get a result at the end of the day. We followed what was tried in training.’’
Malaysia take on Lebanon in the final on Sunday. The Harimau Malaya, ranked 134th in the world, can expect a tougher match against the Lebanese, who are 116th.
Vicente hopes the fans will throng the National Stadium to rally his team to a win.
“Lebanon are strong opponents, even more physical than the Philippines.
“We have to get better, in terms of organisation and everything,’’ he said.
“I don’t know how many fans came for the game against the Philippines (according to FAM, more than 3,000 turned up), but they made the atmosphere good. I hope more will come for the final.”
