Saya Uncle Az

Monday, 3 December 2012

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012: Thailand will be a true test

HARD WORK: Getting to the semi-finals is just half the journey for Rajagobal's men

By AJITPAL SINGH & DEVINDER SINGH | nstsport@nst.com.my

Mohd Shakir Shaari fights for the ball against Indonesia's Andik Vermansah in their AFF Suzuki Cup match on Saturday.

GETTING past the group stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup is no cause for celebration as that was the bare minimum for K. Rajagobal's defending champions, who can now look ahead to a mouth-watering semi-final duel with Thailand.

Malaysia made hard work of getting through from Group B, settling for the runners-up spot after a humbling 3-0 defeat in the opening match to group winners Singapore.

Rajagobal and his men copped a lot of flak for that embarrassing showing before recovering to put Laos (4-1) and Indonesia (2-0) to the sword.

But the two wins must be put in perspective -- Laos are the lowest ranked team in the tournament while Indonesia were a significantly weakened side from 2010 after fielding players almost exclusively from the weaker Indonesian Premier League and ignoring rebel Indonesian Super League players with the exception of Bambang Pamungkas.

Bambang did not even get off the bench on Saturday at the National Stadium as Malaysia got the win they needed to keep their title hopes alive.

Thailand, who arrive in Kuala Lumpur for Sunday's first leg, will be the true measure of Malaysia's strength and act as a barometer to gauge Rajagobal's oft-stated aim of qualifying for the 2015 Asian Cup.

Rajagobal probably felt relief rather than satisfaction with reaching the semi-finals when he told a news conference after Saturday's win: "Looking at Thailand, they are a very strong team.

"We are in the semis and we have nothing to lose. We will prepare and play the match rather than thinking too much about it."

Perhaps, Rajagobal realises his team are not quite the finished article he hoped they would be.

While there were several positives to take out of the win over Indonesia -- not least the performances of wingers Azamuddin Akil and Wan Zak Haikal Wan Nor, the barnstorming display of fullback Mahalli Jasuli and the alertness of goalkeeper Farizal Marlias -- Rajagobal must be concerned over strikers Safee Sali and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.

The pair have started all three matches together but only managed one goal between them -- Safee's crucial strike against Laos which broke a 1-1 tie with 23 minutes remaining.

"The confidence came from the Laos game and we needed to win or we would not have a chance," said Rajagobal in explaining the urgency the team showed against Indonesia.

"But to get the game going, the two goals were really important. But we can see that some of the players are tired like Safee, Norshahrul and Safiq (Rahim) and were not in the normal flow of the game.

"I was concerned the game was becoming too open and so I brought in Gary (Steven Robbat) and Amar (Rohidan) to stabilise the midfield because Indonesia were sending high balls to pressure the defence," said Rajagobal.

Rajagobal reserved praise for Wan Zack and Mahalli, who created the opener for Azamuddin and scored himself from an exquisite pass off Wan Zack for his first goal for Malaysia.

Nor can the similarities with 2010, when Malaysia bounced back from an opening 5-1 defeat to Indonesia before knocking out strong favourites Vietnam in the semi-finals, be ignored.

"It looks like it's happening like that, the same scenario. Vietnam were then the defending champions and now we have Thailand. We don't have to be afraid even though Thailand have got a strong team.

"They are fast, technically sound, work as a unit and the mobility is there. Anything can happen and no one is favourite," added Rajagobal, who will be mindful that the Thais won all three of their Group A games and racked up nine goals.

Thursday, 29 November 2012

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012: Tigers bounce back in style

AFF SUZUKI CUP: Rajagobal's men turn on the power in second half

Safee Sali weaves past Laos defenders in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group B match at the National Stadium yesterday. Malaysia won 4-1. Pic by Fariz Iswadi Ismail

MALAYSIA'S AFF Suzuki Cup fate is in their own hands as they woke up in the second half to send a plucky Laos packing 4-1 in their Group B clash at the National Stadium last night.

Malaysia, after a bright start, lost their way after taking the lead in the 15th minute as Laos pulled themselves back into the tie.

A second half blitz, however, means Malaysia will advance to the last four if they beat Indonesia in their final group match on Saturday.

National coach K. Rajagobal, as promised, made four changes to his line-up, opting for goalkeeper Farizal Marlias instead of Khairul Fahmi Che Mat while right-back Mahalli Jasuli stood-in for Bunyamin Umar.

Defensive midfielder Amar Rohidan did not make the final-18 and taking over was Shakir Shaari. Young Tigers winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor earned his first start in the tournament, replacing Khyril Muhymeen Zambri.

Laos, though well-organised, were prone to mistakes and they were almost punished in the 10th minute by Safee Sali when the striker picked up a wayward pass but his shot from inside the penalty box sailed wide.

Two minutes later, S. Kunanlan controlled the ball with his chest to evade a challenge from Kovanh Namthavixay before his low cross was met by Safee but the Pelita Jaya player shot straight to goalkeeper Sengphachan Bounthisanh.

Malaysia's persistence was, however, rewarded in the 15th minute when Norshahrul Idlan Talaha was fouled outside the box.

Captain Safiq Rahim stepped-up and slammed a spectacular effort into the top corner of the Laos goal mouth for the lead. It was also his first goal in the AFF Cup since his debut in the 2008 edition.

Unfortunately, Malaysia spurned several chances after that and Laos made them pay when, against the run of play, they equalised in the 39th minute.

Khonesavanh Sihavong was sent through and the winger's shot deflected off centre-back Aidil Zafuan Radzak and over keeper Farizal to silence the Malaysian fans.

The second half -- at the start at least -- saw Malaysia again wasteful in front of goal as chance after chance was spurned.

To their credit, Malaysia continued pressing and in the 67th minute, Safee atoned for his numerous earlier misses by finding the back of the net.

A quick break on the left saw Wan Zack Haikal making most of the space as Laos defenders scrambled to get into position, and his square pass was met by Safee, who in turn lopped the ball over the keeper to become Malaysia's all-time top-scorer in the AFF Cup with eight goals.

In the 77th, Wan Zack Haikal scored his third international goal with a free header, off a cross from S. Kunanlan.

Khyril Muhymeen Zambri added the fourth just two minutes after he replaced Safee in the 79th minute with a fine solo effort.

The fight was out of Laos but Malaysia will have to raise their game against Indonesia on Saturday if they want to make the semis.

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012: Nervy Vietnam pay heavy price

NST online:

Philippines’ Patrick Alacala Reichelt (left) and Vietnam’s Le Tan Tai fight for the ball in their Group A match on Tuesday. AFP pic

DISASTER: They could miss semi-finals for the first time since 2004

CHIEF coach Phan Thanh Hung admitted Vietnam froze in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group A loss to the Philippines on Tuesday.

Emilio Caligdong slammed in the only goal of the game in the 85th minute to revive Philippines' hopes and send Vietnam into a precarious position of not making the semi-finals for the first time since 2004.

"We froze," said Thanh Hung. "We made a lot of wrong passes and I thought that the loss came from our own mistakes. It is our worse game since I took over this team.

"I think that the problem was that no one was pushing the team on the pitch. There were psychological issues where there was no good movement with the ball."

With the loss, Vietnam have little choice but to beat Thailand tomorrow which, even then, may not be enough as either the Philippines or Myanmar can also advance to the last four.

Philippines chief coach Michael Weiss was not too buoyed by the win.

"We have to re-strategise for our next match and I would like to point out that Myanmar are not the weakest team in the group." aseanfootball.org

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012 : Second half blitz puts champs Malaysia back on track

Reports by SHAMSHUL FITRI and K. RAJAN - (The Star Online)

Awesome foursome: Malaysia’s (from right) Safee Sali and Safiq Rahim celebrate with Wan Zack Haikal, scorer of the third goal, during their Suzuki Cup Group B match against Laos at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Wednesday. — M. AZHAR ARIF / The Star

IT TOOK some tweaking but Datuk K. Rajagopal’s men finally got their act together to maul Laos 4-1 in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group B match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil – and revive their chances of checking into the semi-finals.

The Harimau Malaya began with a venom, playing with aggression and determination. It was no surprise when skipper Mohd Safiq Rahim scored from a free-kick in the 15th minute.

That should have sparked a goal rush, instead the early fire fizzled out.

And it allowed Laos to hit back through Khonesavanh Sihavong’s deflected effort in the 38th minute.

The teams trooped off at half-time even stevens.

This forced Rajagopal to tinker with his game plan and it worked wonders.

“I told the players to play with aggression and they did,” he said.

The Tigers went on to score three goals in a 13-minute spell through striker Safee Sali (66th), Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor (75th) and Mohd Khyrill Muhymeen Zambri (79th).

“Safee’s goal was the turning point … the match could have gone either way until he struck,” admitted Rajagopal.

The coach, however, was quick to dismiss the victory and urged his players to focus on their final group match against Indonesia on Saturday.

“We played well to win but we must forget this match and focus on Indonesia now,” said Rajagopal.

In the other Group B match played earlier, Indonesia edged Singapore 1-0 to lead the group with four points. Singapore and Malaysia are tied on three points but the Lions are second on better goal difference. Laos are last with a single point.

Rajagopal admitted that last night’s results have thrown Group B wide open, with all four teams still in the running for a place in the semi-finals.

“The group has turned exciting following Indonesia’s win over Singapore. Everyone will be out for a good result on Saturday,” said Rajagopal

Meanwhile, Laos coach Kokichi Kimura admitted that his defence was a letdown “as they were slow to close down the Malaysian players”.

“We are an inexperienced side and were beaten by a better team. Matches like this help us gain more experience,” said Kimura.

AFF SUZUKI CUP 2012 : Indonesia in driver’s seat for semis after win over Lions

Indonesia boosted their hopes of a semi-final spot in the AFF Suzuki Cup when they edged Singapore 1-0 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Substitute Andik Vermansah scored a beauty from a set piece in the 87th minute to beat 10-man Singapore, who lost defender Mohd Irwan Shah in the 64th minute after he picked up a second yellow card.

Singapore’s resilience was in tatters after Irwan’s sending off as Indonesia pressed forward in search of goals.

Indonesia coach Nil Maizar was full of praise for his hard working charges, who are now one step closer to the semi-finals.

“It was a good result before our final group match against Malaysia on Saturday. This has sparked new hope in us … that we can qualify for the semi-finals,” said a jubilant Nil Maizar.

“We played better in the second-half … we controlled the match throughout. This is the perfect tonic for us.”

Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic, however, was furious with the match official for not giving his team a penalty in the 73rd minute.

Singapore forward Khairul Amri was tackled by Wahyu Wijiastanto but referee Ali Hasan Ebrahim of Bahrain controversially booked Khairul for simulation.

“We should have earned a penalty when Khairul was fouled in the box. The outcome would have been different if we had been given a penalty,” said Avramovic, who felt that Andic’s goal was a fluke.

“I think Indonesia got a lucky goal. Andik was trying to cross but the ball somehow went in.

“With the situation now, we must do it the hard way. We must beat Laos if we want to be in the semi-finals.”

Nil Maizar surprisingly started with four new faces, with Elie Aiboy wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Bambang Pamungkas.

Besides Elie, Novan Sasongko (defence), Vendry Mofu (midfield) and Rachmat Syamsudin (striker) were given a chance by the coach.

Conspicuously absent from the starting line-up was Andik, who was arguably one of Garuda’s best performer in the 2-2 draw with Laos in their opening match.

Singapore kept virtually the same team that beat Malaysia 3-0, with the injured Mohd Saiful Esah replaced by Irwan Shah.

Both teams went straight for the jugular right from the start, with Elie keeping Singapore’s defence busy with his runs while Shahril Ishak was thrust in a forward position for Singapore.

The introduction of Aleksandar Duric for the injured Harris Harun in the 39th minute gave the Lions more firepower, but Indonesia held their ground.

Nil Maizar replaced the weary looking Elie for Andik in the second half to add more punch on the right flank and it worked.

In the 64th minute, Singapore leftback Irwan, who was kept busy all night, was handed a second yellow card for a foul on Andik – just minutes after he had been shown his first.

Ten-man Singapore, however, continued to put two men up front in search of a goal but it was Indonesia who struck, thanks a to peach of a free-kick goal by Andik three minutes from time.

With four points in the bag and with one game left, it was enough for under-fire coach Nil Maizar to run to the stands where Indonesian fans encamped to celebrate the much-needed win when the final whistle blew.