KUALA LUMPUR: Young Harimau Malaya need to recover from their 1- 2 loss at the hands of Timor Leste’s Under 23 (U-23) team in an international match played behind closed doors at UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam yesterday.
Harimau Malaya U-23 head coach, Brad Maloney said his young players need to use the defeat as a motivating factor to bounce back in the coming matches.
“As the coach, of course, I am disappointed with the defeat to Timor Leste but our young players must rise up and be proactive. The loss has to be analysed quickly for shortcomings and weaknesses.
“We should use yesterday’s result as a reason to make a comeback and I continue to be optimistic that our young talents have the potential. We should quickly accept the defeat and put up a better showing in future matches,” he said in a statement issued by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today.
In yesterday’s match, the visitors drew the first blood when Elias Joao Da Costa scored in the 51st minute before Faiz Amer Runnizar equalised for Malaysia in the 66th minute.
In response to Malaysia’s equaliser, Timor Leste unleashed several attacks before Jhon Frith Ornai fired his team’s second goal in the 77th minute.
Harimau Malaya will meet the Philippines’ U-23 team which will be played behind closed doors at UiTM Stadium in Shah Alam tomorrow (May 1) before leaving for Vietnam on May 4 for the 2021 Sea Games.
Meanwhile, 20 players reported themselves for the U-23 national team yesterday. They include new faces namely Muhammad Muslihuddin Atiq Mat Zaid, Muhammad Nur Azfar Fikri Azhar and Muhammad Safwan Mazlan. - Bernama