We can only improve, says skipper Zaquan
captain Zaquan Adha Radzak is confident his team can get better following a nervy start to their AFF Cup campaign.
Malaysia struggled on enemy ground but did just enough to edge Cambodia 1-0 in Thursday’s Group A match at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.
Despite not having team manager Keisuke Honda on the bench, Cambodia came out of the blocks faster and threatened to score in the early minutes of the game.
Tan Cheng Hoe's boys also found it tough playing on the venue’s uneven synthetic pitch and only managed to gather their composure and structure after 20 minutes.
Norshahrul Idlan Talaha netted the only goal with a header in the 30th minute.
Forwards Safawi Rasid and Mohamadou Sumareh both came close but their attempts struck the crossbar.
Zaquan said: “Our performance was not perfect today.
“We need to improve to a point that we can maintain our composure and also produce our ‘A’ game.
“Frankly, we expected a tough start to the game based on our last meeting with Cambodia in September.
“They were good on the synthetic pitch, but we managed to absorb the pressure accordingly.
“End of the day, we got the three points which will give us plenty of confidence and boost going into our second match (against Laos),” said Zaquan on Thursday.
The nervy start was expected as six players were making their debut in the competition and it was always going to be tough to fire on all cylinders right from the start.
The fact that Malaysia managed to step up and win put the team in the right mood for the next match.