Kim Swee tells players they are not underdogs

NATIONAL youth coach Ong Kim Swee reminded his players that the mission is not over yet in the AFC Under-23 Championship as they need to focus on achieving another significant first in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Malaysia recorded a sensational 1-0 win over 2013 runners-up Saudi Arabia in a Group C match on Tuesday and will face South Korea for a place in the semi-finals.

Earlier, Kim Swee’s side drew 11 with Jordan, but lost 4-1 to Iraq.

“It does not matter who we meet in the quarter-finals as all teams that have reached this far are the elites in the competition. There are no underdogs in the knockout stage,” said Kim Swee on Wednesday.

“All quarter-final matches will be tight. I will prepare my players accordingly and do our best for the country.”

Kim Swee is not new to success as he had guided his Under-23 side to the gold medal at the 2011 Sea Games in Jakarta. Last year, his team made the final of the KL edition only to lose 1-0 to Thailand.

“Our achievements in the Sea Games will always be memorable to me but we cannot use them as a yardstick when we are talking about Asian level competitions.

“I have told my boys to stop celebrating as we need to focus on the quarter-finals.

“We are not the underdogs anymore... we are among the elite teams in Asia’s Under-23 level, so I want my boys to give their 100 per cent on Saturday,” Kim Swee added.