Women's team must learn from next matches despite defeats – Asyraaf
KOTA KINABALU: There might not be much else to fight for after two early defeats left the Malaysian national women's team dejected in the football competition at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
But Mohd Asyraaf Fong Abdullah insists there is still a matter of pride and potentially a wealth of experience that can be taken from their remaining matches in the group stage.
Although Malaysia's bronze medal target is now beyond reach, the national head coach still wants to see the best from his charges in the next two games.
“The two defeats we suffered is a bitter pill to swallow but it is something we have to accept. And now with even stronger opponents in the next two matches it seems very unlikely that we will be able to get close to achieving the bronze.
“But even without a medal to play for, I still want the players to go home with the best experience they can possibly get. Therefore, I want them to focus building that experience against opponents that are much higher in the rankings than us (Malaysia),” he said when contacted, yesterday.
They will face Thailand tomorrow before concluding their group stage challenge with a date with Vietnam on August 24.
“Thailand and Vietnam are the top teams in Asia. Both qualified for the Asian Cup in Jordan next year and Thailand have made it to the World Cup.
“The pressure is very high on us against these two formidable opponents but we will try our best at least not to get whitewashed,” Asyraaf said.
Towards this end, the Tawauborn coach hoped that those who are relevant in football would open their minds to give serious thought on the future development of women's football in the country.
“Two matches have shown the stark difference between our players and theirs (opponents). Something must be done. Serious attention is required especially in terms of development. Women's football must move forward, just like it is in other countries in the region,” he said.
Malaysia lost 2-1 to the Philippines before getting hammered 5-0 by Myanmar in the second game.
For the record, Malaysia are the SEA Games underdogs and are lowest in the FIFA rankings compared to the other teams.
They are ranked 80, while Philippines are 71, Myanmar 45, Vietnam 32 and Thailand 29.