SHAH ALAM – Malaysia should earn points from their first two Asian Cup matches in order to advance to the next round, according to former national player Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan.
Harimau Malaya are pitted against Bahrain, Jordan and South Korea in Group E of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Qatar from January 12 until February 10.
Zainal said the first two matches are crucial for Kim Pan-gon’s charges because the third and final match in their group will be with favourite South Korea, led by German great Jurgen Klinsmann and Tottenham hotshot Son Heung-min.
“I believe from what we have seen from coach Pan-gon’s men, they can compete with both teams.
“Pan-gon has also added more firepower to the frontline with the inclusion of Romel Morales as a naturalised player.
“This will hopefully make the goals flow for Malaysia, and with good preparation, they can create history for Malaysian football,” he told the media after a meet and greet session during the KTM Komuter Cup at EV Arena in Shah Alam yesterday.
“I am aware that Bahrain and Jordan are ranked 86 and 87 in the world, but that does not mean we cannot beat them.
“We have played against Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan recently, we have also played against Bahrain and Jordan before this.
“In my opinion, their level is not too far from us. If every Harimau Malaya player gives the best effort that they have displayed before, then we won’t have any trouble winning the points that will help us qualify for the knockout rounds.
“If you watched our match against Kyrgyzstan recently in the World Cup qualifier, we were down 3-1 and came back to win 4-3. If we display the same fighting spirit, I am confident Malaysia can go far in the tournament,” said the 62-year-old. – December 31, 2023