PETALING JAYA – Harimau Malaya are hoping for a perfect start with a win against Kyrgyzstan in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers Group D opener, at Bukit Jalil National Stadium tomorrow night.
The national team’s head coach Kim Pan-gon said Malaysia, who are ranked 137th in the world, will hunt for three points in every match in the qualifying campaign, including against The White Falcons, who are ranked 97th in the world.
The 54-year-old Korean said the three points in the first match were important in the team’s mission to create history and qualify for the third round of qualification.
“We have six games, we don’t know (maybe) against Oman we can make surprise, we don’t know we may get six points against Taiwan, we are not sure but every single game we are looking for three points.
“We will try to get three points tomorrow, if we achieve (it) we (will be) happy and if we do not achieve we have another five games left… tomorrow’s game is a crucial game for us, very important three points for us,” he told the pre-match press conference at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya here today, ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
Commenting further, Pan-gon said his team’s objective is to pass the second round of qualification and become one of the top 18 teams to qualify for the third round.
He said that some parties might laugh at that, given Malaysia’s current position as the 24th-best team in Asia, but he was optimistic that his charges would be able to succeed.
“We want to get into the top 18 stage (third round), that’s our clear target, of course it’s a big challenge because we are ranked 137th in the world but have a dream to go into the top 18, others may be laughing but for us this is our dream.
“We really want to be among the top 18 to challenge top quality teams in Asia, after that we also want to make another dream,” he said.
If successful, it will be history for Malaysia in making their way to the World Cup after often being stranded in the second round of qualifications.
Meanwhile, defender Matthew Davies said the team’s chemistry has improved in the last five months and all players are ready to fight for the top two slots in Group D.
“Now we get to know each other very well, spending a lot of time together and getting a good understanding for each other, we feel we have good momentum so hope to carry that forward into tomorrow’s match,” the 28-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim defender said.
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, the meeting record is in Kyrgyzstan’s favour, after they won 1-0 in an international friendly in Melaka in 2018.
After Kyrgyzstan’s and an away match with Taiwan on November 21, Malaysia will play Oman twice, away on March 21, and at home on March 26 next year, followed by the away match against Kyrgyzstan (June 6) and finally at home against Taiwan (June 11) at Bukit Jalil. – November 15, 2023