Son shows his class, but Asean players make their mark too
SON Heung- min’s back- post volley against Kyrgyzstan on Monday guaranteed that South Korea moved through to the knockout stages of the Asian Games men’s football competition in Indonesia.
But three days earlier, the fast-improving Malaysian side proved that the Tottenham Hotspur star wasn’t unbeatable.
Malaysia pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory over the Koreans in their second Group E game in Soreang on Aug 16.
Just seven weeks after Son scored the second goal in the Taeguk Warriors’ famous 2- 0 win to eliminate reigning champions Germany from the 2018 World Cup, the talented forward came off the bench, but couldn’t prevent Ong Kim Swee’s side causing an upset.
The Asian Games group stages also saw Vietnam beat Japan 1- 0 to climb to the Group D summit and hosts Indonesia win three games out of four to top Group A.
SEA Game s champions Thailand missed out on the knockout stages after suffering a 1- 0 defeat to Uzbekistan in the final game of a tough Group B, despite avoiding defeat in their previous two matches.
The strong performances of Southeast Asian sides suggest that the once- massive gap between ASEAN and Asia’s elite is getting smaller.
Malaysia are now preparing for Friday’s round- of-16 clash versus Japan in Bogor.
Against Son’s men, two goals in the first half from the outstanding Safawi Rasid helped the 2010 Suzuki Cup champions side build on their success from January’s AFC Under-23 Championship in China where they advanced to the quarterfinals before losing 2-1 to South Korea.
Their 3- 2 defeat to Bahrain in what was effectively a dead rubber on Monday didn’t stop Malaysia finishing above the Koreans in their Asian Games’ group.
According to Malaysia assistant coach Brad Maloney, the improvement comes down to working hard, being organised by following a tailored game plan, and not placing superstars like Son on a pedestal.
“Son is a world- class player, who oozes respect on the field, particularly at this level. However, the players were never overawed by the occasion, nor intimidated by the quality of players in the Korean squad, matching it with them on the day,” Maloney said.
“We didn’t assign any special tactics to Son. We continued to play to our strengths and were disciplined, particularly when we didn’t have the ball. The players kept their shape very well and limited the opposition’s chances on goal.”
Malaysia had defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-2 in their opening Group E game, while the Koreans trounced Bahrain 6- 0. Vietnam, who defied expectations to make January’s final of the AFC U23, have been even more impressive, scoring six goals while conceding none as they won all three group matches.
In World Cup qualifying and at Asian Cup level, Southeast Asian nations have suffered some heavy defeats in recent years against the likes of South Korea, Japan and Middle-Eastern sides.
But strong age-group performances could soon transfer to the full international stage as the continent gears up for the long road to Qatar 2022.
“I believe the potential is starting to be realised, particularly after Vietnam’s heroics at the AFC U23 in January and several good results from ASEAN nations since,” Maloney said.
“Many of the current Malaysia U23 squad have already earned senior caps and the U20s and U16s are both talented squads, so I believe the senior team will definitely be very strong over the next few years.’’
Safawi, who operates as a winger or forward for Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, is the stand- out member of the U23 squad. Just 21 years old, he heads the Asian Games’ scoring charts with five goals from three matches.
Technically gifted, and capable of seeing things that most other players don’t, Safawi has been capped eight times by the senior national side, scoring two goals.
“Safawi is a special player who has been outstanding,’’ Maloney said. “But Akhyar Rashid and Syafiq Ahmad have also been tireless. The usual back three of Adam Nor Azlin, Dominic Tan and Irfan Zakari have been rock-solid and goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli has made some incredible saves at times.’’
With Safawi, and a handful of Vietnamese and Indonesians matching it with some of Asia’s best young talent, ASEAN players have boosted hopes that the region may one day develop a true Europe-based superstar like Son.
The first step, however, might be to follow the lead of Thailand’s Chan at hip Song kr as in, among others, by establishing themselves in tougher Asian competitions, like the J.League.
Not every AFC nation sends their best talent to under- age tournament s in non- FIFA windows, so we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
Even so, the Asian Games football competition has been cause for healthy optimism for those watching in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh.
Jason Dasey hosts Weekend Mornings on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 and is CEO of Cockatoo Media. Twitter: @ JasonDasey