PETALING JAYA: The national football team had been under fire since the start of the AFF Cup but centreback Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee (pic, below) is happy that they salvaged some hope against Thailand.
They went down 0-1 to the mighty Thais at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday but the ability to keep the score low had given them some hope in the Asian meet.
The game could have ended in a goalless draw but a mistake from goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli dampened the hopes of getting at least a point when his loose pass was intercepted by Thai striker Suphanat Muenta.
Suphanat made a clever pass, which was then finished off by fellow striker Patrik Gustavsson in the 57th minute.
Khuzaimi and Co drew 2-2 against Cambodia and survived with a 3-2 win against Timor Leste. Low scores against football minnows did not go down well with the fans.
The 31-year-old Khuzaimi is aware of the critics made on the team but said they had showed some hope against the War Elephants.
He was one of the standouts in the game with his strong defensive display to stifle the likes of Suphanat and Gustavsson.
“We accept the comments made against us,” said the left-footed Selangor player.
“We were disappointed as luck was not on our side against the Thais. We did our best against one of the favourites of the tournament.
Moving past: Syamer Kutty Abba in action against Thailand during the AFF Cup match on Sunday. — FAM
“All the players gave their all. We were disappointed with ourselves because we played so well but luck deserted us. We cannot give up now. We will try our best for the next game against Singapore,” he said.
“When we are in this camp, we are one family. We cannot point fingers at anyone. At this time, we have to be together and make sure we do not let each other down.
“We have to be even tighter now despite the odds being against us. Our spirit as a team is really strong but we just could not get the result.”
Harimau Malaya will play Singapore next at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday.
“We still hope the fans will continue to back us. I hope our fans will fill the stands to support us,” he said.
Malaysia have dropped to third in the group with four points, while Thailand are top with six. Singapore are second, also with six, but with an inferior goal difference.
