KUALA LUMPUR: M-League football coaches were thrilled with the performance of the national team during their 3-3 draw with heavyweights South Korea at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar yesterday.
Former Kuala Lumpur City coach Bojan Hodak said after a slow start in the tournament, Harimau Malaya finally looked composed against South Korea.
The squad lost their first two Group E matches to Jordan (4-0) and Bahrain (1-0).
"It was a good game and a good result. Finally, Malaysia looked organised," said Hodak when contacted today.
"Darren Lok did a lot of dirty work up front, chasing down balls and pressing a lot.
"In midfield, Brendan Gan and Stuart Wilkin definitely worked hard, but for me, the best player was Dion Cools (captain), who managed to win every cross. Shahrul (Saad) also had a good game.
"After they led 1-0, South Korea looked like they just wanted to finish the game, but then they conceded two quick goals.
"South Korea pushed after that, but after going up 3-2, they slowed down, which was a mistake. This allowed Malaysia to score their third goal.
"I am happy that Paulo Josue made the assist that allowed Romel Morales to score the equaliser because they both played for me at KL City.
"Romel was definitely unfit, but he just came on for the last 10 minutes and had the quality to change the game."
Irfan Bakti Abu Salim echoed Hodak's sentiments, but was left to rue what could have been.
"This is what you call football. They played bravely, had confidence on the ball, dared to dribble and move forward in the match," said Irfan.
"Perhaps it was because we had nothing to lose, but then again, South Korea were also determined not to lose the match.
"Dion, as captain, was exemplary and worked really hard, as did Darren Lok. The first Malaysian goal (Faisal Halim) was the result of his (Darren) hard work chasing down the ball.
"Faisal's goal was something I did not predict, I thought he was going to square the ball.
"He disguised his shot well, which shows he is an intelligent player, and was able to score despite the tight angle.
"It was a bit of a shame that we had to wait until the very last match before starting to perform well."
Datuk Dollah Salleh praised the squad's determination.
The former national team striker was previously the last Malaysian to score against South Korea in 1985. Malaysia won the match 1-0 and have not beaten the South Koreans since.
"Although we were already out of the competition, the players continued to show great fighting spirit right until the final minute and subsequently were able to score the equaliser," said Dollah.
"As I have said before, we should not show our opponents too much respect. We just need to play normally and it was proven yesterday.
"I also stressed that Faisal and Arif Aiman Hanapi are our key players in attack. When they play well, so does the team. They both played well yesterday."
The national team ended their campaign in last place in Group E with a solitary point.
Bahrain topped the group with six points, while South Korea were second on five points.
Jordan placed third on four points, but advanced to the second round as one of four best third-placed teams in the competition.
ENDS
KW: Football, AFC Asian Cup, Bojak Hodak, Irfan Bakti Abu Salim, Dollah Salleh
