KUALA LUMPUR — Harimau Malaya paid a heavy price for failing to capitalise on Indonesia’s numerical disadvantage, with former international D. Surendran warning that the goalless draw could prove costly in their bid to top Group A of the FIFA Asean Cup.
Surendran, who won more than 10 major honours, including the Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup during his time with Selangor FC, said Malaysia should have taken full advantage after Indonesia were reduced to 10 men for almost an hour in their 0-0 draw yesterday.
The result means Harimau Malaya now face the prospect of needing a convincing victory over Singapore in their final group match to strengthen their hopes of finishing top, while Indonesia appear to have a more straightforward task against bottom-placed Bangladesh.
“Playing Singapore will not be easy either, but I believe Harimau Malaya can win. The question is how many goals we can score.
“If Indonesia goes on to beat Bangladesh by a big margin, then we will find ourselves in a difficult situation because goal difference could become important.
“We have to accept that we have lost an opportunity because Indonesia were down to 10 men and we still could not win. Had we taken all three points, our chances of finishing top of the group would certainly have been much brighter,” he told Scoop when contacted.
Surendran, however, cautioned against placing excessive pressure on the players to chase a big-margin victory against Singapore, saying such an approach could instead lead to mistakes and undermine Malaysia’s chances of securing the win.
“The best tactical approach has to be taken, but the coach must also avoid putting too much pressure on the players by making them feel that they have to win by a big margin.
“When players are under too much pressure, mistakes can easily creep into their game. We might then struggle even to beat Singapore.
“So, they should play their normal game, stay composed and focus first on getting the win. If the goals come, then take as many as possible, but don’t make the players feel that everything depends on a huge scoreline,” he said.
Malaysia were handed a major advantage against Indonesia when Thom Haye was shown a straight red card in the 35th minute for a foul on Arif Aiman Hanapi.
Despite having almost an hour to exploit the extra man, Harimau Malaya were unable to break down Indonesia’s defence and had to settle for a point.
The draw leaves Malaysia at the top of Group A on four points, level with Indonesia, after the national side opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh. Singapore are third on three points, leaving the group finely poised heading into the final round of matches.
Under the competition format, the Group A winners will face the Group B winners in the final at Gelora Bung Karno on Oct 5, while the two runners-up will meet for third place at the same venue on the same day.
Beyond the missed opportunity against Indonesia, Surendran also believes Malaysia’s attacking players need to provide greater support to Arif Aiman, who he felt was often left to carry too much of the creative burden.
“Arif Aiman was making a lot of movements and trying to create something, but I felt the support from the other attacking players was not enough.
“That is why we lost possession so often. We know what Arif Aiman is capable of and how he likes to play, so the other players have to move with him and create options.
“He cannot be expected to take on the opposition defence on his own every time. If we leave him isolated, it becomes much harder for him to get past the defenders and create clear opportunities.
“The players around him have to give him support, make runs and help open up spaces. That will make our attack less predictable and give us a better chance of scoring,” he said. – September 29, 2026