DOHA – Some Harimau Malaya players refused to speak with Malaysian media following their 0-4 loss to Jordan in the 2023 Asian Cup Group E opener at the Al Janoub Stadium here last night.
With disappointment on their faces, the players avoided looking at the media as they trudged past the interview zone and straight to the team bus to return to the hotel.
However, nippy winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, who stopped briefly, said his teammates were just disappointed that they failed to produce the result that all Malaysians had hoped for.
“Losing 4-0 is not something we expected. None of us expected it to happen because we trained hard over the past three weeks and the opportunity (to get a positive result) was there but we were undone by the two early goals we conceded. One was a penalty and the other was a long-range shot.
“This is not the time to blame anyone. We must improve on our weaknesses. (Coach) Kim (Pan-gon) has done all he can for the team but we must be realistic about the quality we have and the level (of performance) that we are used to,” said the 25-year-old Selangor FC player.
Faisal, however, did not rule out the possibility that nervousness about playing at the highest level of Asian football may have contributed to the big defeat and their failure to give their best.
He said they must quickly forget about the defeat and bounce back in the two remaining group matches against Bahrain and two-time champions South Korea if they are to have any hopes of advancing to the round of 16.
“We still have two more matches. It’s going to be very difficult to advance (to the last 16), but in football, we must work hard and give our best to make our fellow Malaysians proud,” he said.
Meanwhile, midfielder Stuart Wilkin, who also spent a few minutes with the Malaysian media, admitted that the heavy defeat was hard to take.
“It was very disappointing and (we) made it difficult for ourselves by conceding two goals so early. So, it was always an uphill battle from there. I think we have to look at the game… how and what went wrong, and try to put things right and plan for the next game,” said the 25-year-old Sabah FC player.
As Jordan trounced Malaysia 4-0, courtesy of a brace each from Mahmoud Almardi (12th minute, 32nd minute) and Mousa Altamari (18th minute penalty, 86th minute), South Korea also got off to a winning start when they beat Bahrain 3-1 in the other Group E match.
Malaysia will next take on Bahrain at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium on Saturday (January 20) before completing their group fixture against South Korea on January 25. – January 16, 2024