There is nothing to be taken away from Malaysia for their stunning 2-1 win over defending champions South Korea in a Group E match at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on Friday.
No one gave the Malaysians any chance against the highly touted Koreans but once again Datuk Ong Kim Swee’s team fought for the famous win and a place in the last 16 with six points while Korea has three followed by Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain with one point each after a 2-2 draw in an earlier match.
Malaysia’s next match is against Bahrain on Monday to complete their group fixtures. In the first match, the Malaysians defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-1.
Hero for Malaysia was the man from Johor Darul Takzim Safawi Rasid who scored a brace in the fifth and 45th minutes on a day when the Koreans found it extremely difficult to break the Malaysian wall.
The 21-year-old Safawi made his left foot do the talking on the field against the Koreans who were left shell-shocked by the defeat.
Safawi’s first goal was a gift when the Korean goalkeeper fumbled his catch on the edge of the box and the Malaysian grabbed the pot of luck that came his way to drill home a low shot into the yawning goal.
A minute into added time in the first-half Safawi shrugged off his marker and planted another left-footed shot that hit the inside of the right upright and bounced into the net.
“We did not play according to our plans but we got the positive result that we needed. I am proud of the way my players responded on the field and took the opportunities for the positive result.
“The players displayed plenty of guts and determination against the Koreans,” said Kim Swee during a television interview after the match. – BYÂ RIZAL ABDULLAHÂ
