There were a couple of firsts on Easter which was on Sunday (April 1) for national football chief coach Tan Cheng Hoe – the day Malaysia finally ended a 12-match winless streak with a thumping 7-0 rout of Himalaya nation Bhutan in a Grade A international friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The number 13 will hold fond memories for Cheng Hoe and company although it is taboo to many. And for skipper Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak it will be memorable four international goals he struck within the hour during the 60 minutes he was on the field.
“I slept well after the match…something which I had not been able to do before after some heartbreaking results even when I was the assistant coach,” said Cheng Hoe on Monday when talking about the win against Bhutan on April Fools day.
“It took us 13 matches to finally break the jinx…it does not matter on what day we achieved that soothing win. I did not expect the 7-0 scoreline but the players showed commitment, discipline, pride and character with lots of confidence.
“We needed this win very badly and it does not matter that we won against the minnows. One thing that came out of the huge win is that Malaysian football can rise. This is a young team that achieved where we failed before.”
Cheng Hoe, a former international from Kedah who gave up his job with his homestate for national duty, reminded that the country still need those ‘experienced players” who did not make the team for Malaysia’s final Group B Asia Cup qualifying match against Lebanon in Beirut (last Tuesday) and against Bhutan.
He was obviously referring to the 12 players from Johor Darul Takzim who were left out of the team after Malaysia’s Grade A friendly against Mongolia which ended in a 2-2 draw before the match against Lebanon.
“They (the 12 players) are not dropped. They are very much part and parcel of the national squad and can be called up for national duty when the need arises,” added Cheng Hoe, who is keeping his fingers crossed that there will be no major injuries when the players return their respective clubs for the Malaysian League. BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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