Meor out to make up for Antwerp agony

KUALA LUMPUR: Once is enough.

National Juniors midfielder Meor Mohd Azuan Hasan (pic) doesn’t want to experience the heartache of another defeat.

Meor was a member of the national senior team who finished a dismal sixth in the recently- concluded World League Semi-Finals in Antwerp, Belgium.

Malaysia went into the tournament eyeing a top-four place to seal their spot in next year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Instead, the sixth placing has made them the third reserves for the Rio Olympics.

And Meor doesn’t want the Juniors to suffer the same fate when they compete in the Under-21 Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan from Nov 14-22. It is the qualifying tournament for next year’s Junior World Cup in India.

The Juniors must finish among the top four in Kuantan to seal a place in the Junior World Cup.

The 21- year- old Meor admitted that the national team had let the nation down in Antwerp.

“We had the chance to beat India to qualify for the semi-finals ... we were leading 2-1 in the third quarter. But we fizzled out in the fourth quarter and lost the match 3-2,” said Meor, who returned home with the team on Tuesday.

“We also failed to deliver when it mattered most ... being outplayed 4-1 by Ireland in the fifth-placing playoff.

“It was a disappointing performance by the national senior team in Belgium ... we have a very slim hope of qualifying for the Rio Olympics.”

Seven countries have qualified for the 12-team Rio Olympics – India, Germany, Argentina, Holland, Australia, Belgium and Britain.

The Kuala Kangsar-born Meor said that they have learnt their lesson well and “we’ll go all out in Kuantan to help Malaysia qualify for next year’s Junior World Cup”.

“We will face strong challenges from teams like India, Pakistan, South Korea and Japan in Kuantan ... the challenge will be on us to qualify for the Junior World Cup after the disappointing outing of the senior team,” said Meor, who featured in the 2013 Junior World Cup in New Delhi, where Malaysia finished a creditable fourth.

Besides Meor, two other players – forwards Mohd Haziq Samsul and Mohd Shahril Saabah, who featured in the World League Semi-Finals in Antwerp, are also eligible to play in the Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan.

Malaysia were Junior Asia Cup champions in Malacca in 2012.