The scoreline did not matter for national football coach Tan Cheng Hoe as Malaysia registered a 1-0 win over Fiji in an international friendly at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras on Thursday.
The solitary goal in the match was scored in the 20th minute by Syafiq Ahmad but he left the field soon after getting his name into the scoresheet. Syafiq injured his ribs after colliding into the Fiji goalkeeper.
There was no change in the scoreline after Syafiq’s goal – thanks to Malaysia’s poor finishing by Wan Zack Haikal and Nazmi Faiz Mansor.
Malaysia played two goalkeepers in the match with Khairul Fahmi Che Mat guarding the posts in the first half and Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam taking over the job after the break.
It was Cheng Hoe’s second win since he took over the hot-seat in December after the 7-0 win over Bhutan at the National Stadium in April.
Malaysia has lined up several matches as part of the national team’s preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup at the end of the year. The national team is drawn in Group A with Cambodia. Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
“With a number of players injured, I had to call up new faces. Of course, a bigger victory margin would have been better but I have no complaints. Those who took the field gave a committed and disciplined performance,” said Cheng Hoe after the match.
Among those who were on the crock list were skipper Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak and Cobin Ong.
Malaysia is ranked 171 while Fiji is ranked 165.
Malaysia has lined friendly matches against Taiwan (Sept 7), Cambodia (Sept 11), Sri Lanka (Oct 12), Krygystan (Oct 16) and Maldives (Nov 3). – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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