Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: Glorious bravehearts in blue Read more: Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: Glorious bravehearts in blue

Malaysia goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat (in orange) and Indonesia’s Cristian Gonzales vie for the ball in their AFF Suzuki Cup final second leg match at the Bung Karno Stadium yesterday. — Picture by Khairul Ghazali

 

 

HEROES, every single one of them. The bravehearts in blue walked tall after conquering Indonesia in the cauldron of Bung Karno Stadium as skipper Safiq Rahim lifted the AFF Suzuki Cup after completing a 4-2 aggregate victory in Jakarta.

The 2-1 defeat in the second leg did not matter as the job had been done three days earlier in Bukit Jalil as Malaysia celebrated their first title in 14 years of trying in the competition. It was also Malaysia's first major success since the senior team won the 1989 Sea Games gold.

Safee Sali added to the excitement by finishing as top scorer with five goals and it was his cool finish eight minutes after the break which virtually settled the second leg after goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat had rescued Malaysia with a penalty save in the first half.
The defence, led by the stout Muslim Ahmad and Fadhli Shas, held firm against the waves of attack from the home team but K. Rajagobal's tactics were spot on to send 95,000 fans home disappointed.

A cagey start by both teams meant there little by way of goal-mouth action early on.

The closest Indonesia came to a goal in the first half was an 18th-minute penalty, awarded by Australian referee Peter Green after Sabre Mat Abu handled the ball.

Skipper Firman Utina, however, struck weakly as Fahmi made an easy save to his left.

Ashaari Samsuddin twice came close to killing the tie for Malaysia with a left-footer that went wide and a slalom and shot which Markus Harrison in the Indonesia goal punched clear.

But Ashaari's lack of defensive discipline often left Malaysia exposed on the flank and Indonesia nearly took advantage with Cristian Gonzales, Muhammad Ridwan and Arif Suyono all going close late on.

Had Amar Rohidan not headed off Ridwan's lob in first half stoppage time, with the aid of the cross bar, Malaysia would have trooped off at half-time with their lead slashed. Ashaari, however, proved a capable replacement for Amirulhadi Zainal when Malaysia scored against the run of play in the 53rd minute.

The Terengganu winger intercepted a pass and spotted Safee making a run through the middle and found the striker with a pin-point pass.

Safee took the ball in his stride, shrugged off the attention of the Indonesian centre-backs and fired the ball past a helpless Markus.

From then on it was about seeing out the game and protecting the four-goal even if there was more than half an hour to go and Indonesia throwing on Bambang Pamungkas in a sign of desperation. Mohammad Nasuha bagged an equaliser in the 71st minute off a rebound after Fahmi had saved a strike on goal before Ridwan's attempt was deflected into goal by Muslim three minutes from time but it was too little too late.

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Reports by Devinder Singh in Jakarta
nstsport@nstp.com.my

Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: It's now more than just a game Read more: Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: It's now more than just a game

Malaysia players train near their hotel after their official training at the Senayan Sports Complex was cancelled yesterday. — Picture by Khairul Ghazali

THE battle lines have been drawn after Malaysia were accused of cheating their way to victory in the AFF Suzuki Cup final first leg, never mind that Indonesia were outclassed.
Malaysian football stands on the brink of making history by winning the Asean Championship crown for the first time after going on a five-match unbeaten run during which goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat only let in one goal.

But as the Indonesian media harp on a laser beam incident in Bukit Jalil on Sunday which apparently contributed to their defeat, the second leg today seems to be more about getting even than playing football.

From talk show guests to celebrities and the man on the street, none passed up a chance to spit venom at not just the Malaysian team, but at the country as well.
That, however, is beside the point as this is ultimately about football as national coach K. Rajagobal was at pains to stress to the Indonesian reporters yesterday.

"There have been a lot of accusations and I don't know if it is true or not or even who was responsible.

"Your coach (Alfred Riedl) is a professional and said Indonesia lost because the players lost their concentration after conceding the first goal through a mistake.

"This is entertainment and I hope nothing else interferes with the game because ultimately only you will lose out," said Rajagobal.

Indonesia need a big win to overturn the 3-0 first leg score and having beaten Malaysia 5-1 in the opening group match in Jakarta on Dec 1, expectations are high on a repeat scoreline.

"When we lost that game 5-1, we accepted the defeat, admitted our errors and made no excuses. I want to know why can't Indonesians do the same. This is football, there will be a winner and a loser and we must know how to accept facts. All I want to see is a good game and fair play on the field," added Rajagobal.

One factor that should work in Malaysia's favour is the absence of Indonesia's tricky winger Oktovianus Maniani who is suspended after picking up his second caution of the tournament in Bukit Jalil.

Also, history is on Malaysia's side as the team who won the first leg, have always gone on to win the trophy since the AFF tournament final became a two-leg affair in 2004-05.

The omens are looking good for Malaysia.


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Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: Raja not celebrating yet

K. RAJAGOBAL is under no illusions that his job is done after Malaysia took a big step closer to a historic achievement with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Indonesia in the AFF Suzuki Cup final first leg in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
But it very nearly did not happen as irresponsible fans aimed laser beams at Indonesia goalkeeper Markus Rihihina and almost caused the game to be called off.

When the match resumed five minutes later though, Malaysia turned on the charm to rifle three goals past previously unbeaten Indonesia, which went some way to make up for the 5-1 mauling in Jakarta on Dec 1.

"I was optimistic before the match that we could get something to take to Jakarta and with Indonesia playing away for the first time, we wanted to see how they reacted under pressure," said Rajagobal.
"The same thing which happened to us in Jakarta, happened to Indonesia here. They made mistakes when we pressured them and after getting the first goal, the second and third goals also came.

"In the first half, we were too eager in front of goal and could not execute our chances. We were sloppy.

"Indonesia gained confidence and threatened on the flanks through Oktovianus (Maniani) and nearly scored but we kept their two strikers (Cristian Gonzales and Yongkry Ari Bowo) quiet.

"In the second half, I told the players we needed to be more aggressive if we were to score and have a chance in the second leg.

"We have done tremendously well to score three goals but it is not finished. We still have another 90 minutes to focus on."

Rajagobal and his counterpart Alfred Riedl both said the disruption to the game had little impact with the latter claiming that it was the first goal which unsettled his team.

"I have to talk to the players if the lasers affected them but I don't think so," said Riedl.

"It was the first goal which changed everything. We had a good first half. But when Malaysia scored, my defenders got confused. One mistake made the difference.

"We had good matches against the Philippines and the performance was fine. But today (yesterday), we were nowhere and were completely confused after the first goal.

"The techniques of the strikers were no good. We could not stabilise ourselves and let in the second and third goals."

By Ajitpal Singh and Devinder Singh
nstsport@nstp.com.my

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Out for win, not revenge

Malaysian fans observing the national team training at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya yesterday. — Picture by Osman Adnan

THERE are no two ways about it. Malaysia need to win the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final to have any hope of lifting the trophy for the first time. With memories of the 5-1 opening match mauling still fresh in the minds of both teams, tomorrow's encounter at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil takes on added significance.

There is talk of a revival of Malaysian football following the young national team's run to the final after a horrible start and for once, the fans will be out in full force in support of coach K. Rajagobal's side.

Few, if any, had expected the team to reach this far but now that they are here after 14 years, Rajagobal wants an all-out effort from his players to return to a time when winning trophies at regional level was a matter of course for the national side.
"Any coach, if you asked, would say they want to win. Now that we have come so far we want to seize the opportunity," said Rajagobal at the pre-match press conference in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

"We want a positive result, and by positive it means we are going for a win. We have no choice because we have to go back to Jakarta for the second leg where nothing is guaranteed.

"I want the players to do well and get the win."

Rajagobal, who expects a closely contested and exciting match, played down any thoughts of revenge for the Dec 1 embarrassment in Jakarta.

"We know what we have to do and both teams already know each other well. There are some areas we need to put greater emphasis on but I cannot disclose that now.

"We are ready for the final and I think it's going to be a very exciting match," said Rajagobal, who can expect his team to play in front of an 85,000-strong crowd tomorrow.

Indonesia enter the final with a 100 per cent record but all five of their matches have been played in the comfortable confines of Senayan.

"I don't think it will be an advantage for us whether they have played away or not. But we'll see how they adapt to the situation of playing without strong crowd support and whether they can play their normal game," added Rajagobal.

Rajagobal confirmed that only winger Khyril Muhymeen Zambri is unavailable because of a knee injury but would not say if Amirulhadi Zainal, who has just returned to training, also from a knee injury, will play tomorrow.

Ashaari Samsudin is on standby to start on the right and the rest of the lineup should be the from the eleven who drew 0-0 with Vietnam in Hanoi last Saturday.

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By Devinder Singh

Tigers eye big prize

Safiq Rahim stressed the importance of making the home ground advantage for the first leg (Dec 26) count.

 

 

THEY had been written off after a first-game debacle but the Malaysian Tigers now eye the big prize after an amazing turnaround. Eliminating the AFF Suzuki Cup defending champions, Vietnam, is no mean feat and the battling national side fully deserve the praise they are getting.

They chased every ball, shadowed every Vietnam move, absorbed all the pressure and at the final whistle, trooped off the My Dinh Stadium pitch with heads held high after completing a 2-0 semi-final aggregate success.

"We always believe we could reach the final, we had the confidence to do it even though we had a bad start to the tournament," said skipper Safiq Rahim in referring to the 5-1 mauling by Indonesia in a Group A match in Jakarta on Dec 1.
"Now that we are in the final, we want to go on and win the trophy. We have to make the home ground advantage for the first leg (on Dec 26) count."

Prior to the semi-finals, coach K. Rajagobal stressed on carrying out the game-plan to the letter and the Malaysian players certainly stuck to the script with a dogged performance.

Centre-backs Muslim Ahmad and Fadhli Shas, aged 21 and 19 respectively, played with maturity beyond their years and were ably supported by full-backs Sabre Mat Abu and Asraruddin Putra Omar.

Safiq curbed his offensive instinct to provide cover for the back-four, hacking away anything that Vietnam could come up with as Malaysia made the final for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1996.

And when the defence was breached, there was the excellent Khairul Fahmi to save the day, denying Nguyen Viet Thang's point-blank header in the second half to ensure his third clean-sheet in four matches.

"That was just instinct. I was a bit lucky it came straight at me," said Khairul Fahmi, the youngest goalkeeper in the tournament at 21, of his crucial save.

"They were coming at us like crazy but we hung in there and the defenders were superb. We are all very happy and now we can't wait to create history by winning the trophy for the first time."

The ever-modest Muslim, whose aerial challenges frustrated Vietnam's attackers over the two legs, said the entire team deserved credit for reaching the final.

"I just did what the coach asked me to do. I had to pay special attention to one or two of their players and that is what I did.

"But the whole team did well, it was a team effort," said centre-back, who credited his two Slovakia stints with the Young Tigers for his fine performance in Hanoi.


From Devinder Singh in Hanoi

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Victory leaves Rajagobal in buoyant mood

Hanoi: Malaysia coach K. Rajagobal has set his sights on lifting the AFF Suzuki Cup after his team booked their place in the 2010 final with a 2-0 aggregate win over defending champions Vietnam.

A 0-0 draw in Hanoi was the perfect compliment to Malaysia's two-goal victory at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday evening and Rajagobal is now relishing the prospect of lifting the title for the first time in the country's history.

"Looking at the situation now I'm very optimistic," said the former Selangor coach. "When we won against Vietnam at home I was very confident.

"The boys have progressed, they are confident and I don't need to motivate them. This is what they have wanted."

With Indonesia defeating the Philippines in the first leg of their semifinal in Jakarta on Thursday evening, there is a very real chance the Malaysians will go face-to-face with the team that defeated them 5-1 in the opening game of the tournament.

But the coach is confident his side has improved throughout the competition and that the Indonesians will not have matters their own way this time around.

"If we have the opportunity to play Indonesia it's going to be a different ball game," he said. "This is the year for Malaysia to surprise, we are in the final and I think we will go all the way."

Rajagobal was delighted with his team's defensive performance against the Vietnamese and the draw in Hanoi was enough to earn Malaysia a place in the final for the first time since the inaugural competition back in 1996.

"As a coach, I'm very, very happy. I can't express my emotions at this moment, especially with this young squad," he said. "They are real fighters, they are real Malaysian tigers.

"I knew it would be tough going up against Vietnam, the defending champions. They were very confident and felt if we could score two goals then they could score two goals.

"But we were very disciplined. We knew in the first 15 to 20 minutes if Vietnam had scored we would have been in big trouble. The football probably wasn't the most entertaining but we deserved the result.

"We are in the final and we have beaten the defending champions so we are looking forward to the final with peace of mind and the players will be geared up for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010."

http://www.affsuzukicup.com/

Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: Magnificent Malaysia

Malaysia’s Safee Sali tries to go past a Vietnam player in their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final second leg at the My Dinh Stadium yesterday. The teams drew 0-0. — Picture by Khairul Ghazali

HANOI: It was not vintage football but it got the job done as Malaysia reached the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time in 14 years after holding Vietnam 0-0 in the semi-final second leg at the My Dinh Stadium for a 2-0 aggregate success.

Coach K. Rajagobal did not quite have a defensive posture in mind when he named his side for the second leg, but defend Malaysia did, stoutly and splendidly.

"We fought till the last drop of sweat and I have to salute the players," said Rajagobal after the game. "This success is for the players and the country.

"We defended well and kept our shape and I have to give credit to the players, rather than Vietnam who could not score against us on their home ground.
"The centre-backs were superb and the entire back four and Safiq Rahim kept their discipline. It was hard work and the result was well deserved."

Malaysia were pinned back for most of the first half, inviting pressure on themselves as the home team, featuring five changes from Wednesday, came at them in droves.

But for all of Vietnam's possession, goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was only called into action sparingly as centre-backs Muslim Ahmad and Fadhli Shas repelled waves of Vietnamese attacks.

Substitute Le Tan Tai had a volley on the turn saved a minute after coming on for injured midfielder Phan Van Tai Em while winger Pham Thanh Luong's angled header was dealt comfortably in the opening 20 minutes.

Fadhli deflected a shot over the bar which had Khairul Fahmi furiously back-pedalling in the 27th minute before Amirulhadi Zainal spurned a glorious chance to score for Malaysia four minutes later when he sliced his shot after being played in by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.

Minutes after Khairul Fahmi denied Vietnam skipper Nguyen Minh Phuong's well struck free-kick after the break, Malaysia should have scored on the counter but Amirulhadi's final pass was short and the chance went begging.

Vietnam, too, should have been one up in the 62nd minute but striker Nguyen Viet Thang's point-blank header was straight at Khairul Fahmi.

But a double booking for Thanh Luong, first for simulation and then for dissent in the 72nd minute, eased Malaysia's burden although Vietnam kept plugging away with 10 men but to no avail.


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Football / AFF Suzuki Cup: On the brink of history

Malaysia coach K. Rajagobal (centre) and his boys will have a tough task against Vietnam in their AFF Suzuki Cup second leg match in Vietnam.

IT has been 14 years since Malaysia last appeared in the final of the AFF tournament and today K. Rajagobal's young guns are a mere 90 minutes away from rewriting history in Hanoi.

Never mind that Vietnam's coach Henrique Calisto went on the offensive yesterday when he said Malaysia's first leg win was earned through unfair means and hope to teach the national side a lesson today.

Calisto blamed the 50,000 Malaysian fans who turned out in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday for distracting his team by aiming laser pointers at the Vietnam players, although the claim remains unsubstantiated.

The Portuguese did not mention the laser pointers in the post-match press conference on Wednesday but instead chose yesterday's meeting in Hanoi to make his accusation besides putting pressure on the match officials to favour the home team.

"Malaysia won (on Wednesday) without fair play. They won because of laser in my players' eyes. The referee too must play an important role and not let what happened in Malaysia happen again," said Calisto, who on Wednesday faulted China's Sun Baojie for favouring Malaysia in the first leg.

Calisto's comments may have been prompted by pressure he is facing to save his job should the defending champions be eliminated at the semi-final stage.

If anything, Calisto's blase accusations should only serve to fire up a young Malaysian side set to write themselves into the history books with a first final appearance since 1996.

Malaysia's last achievement at senior level in Southeast Asia remains the 1989 Sea Games gold medal won in Kuala Lumpur at the famed Merdeka Stadium.

Discounting last year's Sea Games triumph in Vientiane, which was an Under-23 tournament, and Merdeka Tournament titles in 1993 and 2007 against mediocre opposition, it has been 21 years since success-starved Malaysian fans have had a real reason to celebrate.

While not wanting to look any further than the semi-final second leg at the My Dinh Stadium, where Malaysia will defend a 2-0 first leg lead, Rajagobal briefly entertained thoughts of making the final again for the first time since 1996.

"Now that we are here, we are only one step away from the final. I know I said before 2012 was our target but we have an opportunity to make it happen now.

"We won't have a better chance and we want to push our way through," said Rajagobal at the pre-match press conference yesterday.

Safee Sali, Malaysia's two-goal hero on Wednesday, will be looking to add to his tally along with strike partner Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.

The only change is likely to be at right-back where Sabre Mat Abu should start in place of the erratic Mahalli Jasuli.

"The players need to believe in themselves. We have a two-goal cushion and we have to be at our best," added Rajagobal.

By Devinder Singh
devinder@nst.com.my

Showing respect to Laos

MALAYSIA will not make the mistake of underestimating Laos with a semi-final place in the AFF Suzuki Cup at stake in Palembang today. A spate of surprising results in the on-going tournament by so-called minnows Laos and Philippines shows there are no longer any easy games at Southeast Asian level.

Notwithstanding the 6-0 hammering Laos received from Indonesia, coach K. Rajagobal is preaching caution as Group A comes to its conclusion today.

With Indonesia and Thailand kicking off simultaneously in Jakarta, Rajagobal only wants his players focused on beating Laos and let the cards fall where they may.
"We have no choice but to win, it's as simple as that. I don't want to think about the other game, I just hope they (Indonesia) are professional enough to do it (beat Thailand)," said Rajagobal when reached in Palembang yesterday.

A win over Laos at the Jaka Baring Stadium would be in vain however if Thailand beat Indonesia, who have already secured top spot in the group and have little incentive to go all out.

Laos also retain a chance of qualifying for the last four having held Thailand 2-2 in the opening match.

But there is no guarantee Malaysia will claim the three points against Laos, who memorably stunned the Wan Jamak Wan Hassan-led national side 1-0 at the 1997 Jakarta Sea Games.

Since then Laos have held Malaysia twice in the Asean Championship -- 0-0 in 1998 and 1-1 in 2002 -- although in the last meeting between the two sides at the 2008 Asean tournament in Phuket, Malaysia won 3-0.

"There is no way we can underestimate them. I have seen them play and we need to be aggressive from the start and play at a high tempo.

"We only need one goal to win it, there is no need to hurry but we must also not waste the chances we get and make silly mistakes.

"We must maintain our concentration and rhythm for the full 90 minutes and try to unsettle the opponents," added Rajagobal.

There is a concern over the fitness of striker Safee Sali and midfielder Amirulhadi Zainal, who both suffered knocks in the 0-0 draw with Thailand on Saturday.

Rajagobal will assess their condition first before naming his side with Amri Yahyah or Izzaq Faris Ramlan standing by to replace Safee and Khyril Muhymeen Zambri the likely stand-in for Amirul.


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