Malaysia, spurred on by 80,000 fans, knocked out Myanmar with a convincing 3-0 victory in their last Group A match of this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup at the National Stadium here tonight. Norshahrul Idlan Talaha scored the opener while skipper Mohamad Zaquan Adha Abd Razak netted once in each half to ensure Malaysia’s place in the last four.
Malaysia, second in Group A behind Vietnam, will face the champions of Group B, which will only be decided tomorrow when their matches are concluded. The Group B battle is still wide open with Thailand, Philippines and Singapore vying for top two slots.
Victory today was especially sweet for the hosts as two years ago, also in the deciding last group match, Myanmar denied Malaysia a spot in the semi-finals with a sensational 89th minute goal. But tonight, the tables were turned and Malaysia walked away the victors.
“It is a big relief for the players, for the whole week they were all under pressure. We have been improving from game to game and today was their best. Tonight’s match showed the true character of the players,” said a pleased Tan Cheng Hoe, the Malaysian coach. “Today, it was important that we took lead in the match which gave the players confidence.”
Myanmar coach Antoine Hey also spoke about the early Malaysian goal which he said got the home crowd really going. “Today was not one of better matches, we started well and counter-attacked but did not finish it in the first 10 to 15 minutes. We knew we should avoid conceding an early goal. Then, came the penalty which was the deciding goal.”
He added that they had more chances in the second half but again did not finish them off. “We always knew it would be tough in Malaysia. My congrats to them and all the best in the semi-finals.”
It was not surprising that the Malaysians started off strong, thanks primarily to the massive home support. The fans started taking up their seats from 5pm and by kick-off, the stadium was almost packed out. On the hunt for an early goal to ease the pressure on themselves, the Malaysians pushed up and after a few misses, made it in the 26th minute.
Mohamadou Sumareh launched forward but his superb volley came off the post for Norshahrul to turn into goal. This is Norshahrul’s fourth goal after scoring the winner against Cambodia and twice on target against Laos.
Myanmar launched some dangerous counter-attacks with Aung Thu in front but they were just off the mark. Just as the teams were ready for the break, Myanmar defender Soe Moe Kyaw brought down Muhammad Safawi Rasid in the box. Zaquan kept his cool, sent a low shot that scrape the right post and roll in, just beyond the reach of Kyaw Zin Htet.
Myanmar, especially in the last 20 minutes, threw everything they had but the Malaysian defence, led by Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Razak just kept on turning them away. Two minutes from the end, as Malaysia made their way forward, a defender attempted to clear the ball but it struck Zaquan and rebounded into goal.
