Vingada questions refereeing quality in draw with HK

PETALING JAYA: National coach Eduardo Vingada (pic) has slammed Australian referee Christopher Beath’s handling of the Asian Cup Group B qualifying match against Hong Kong.

The clash at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka on Tuesday ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving Malaysia last in the four-team group with just a point after two matches.

Lebanon lead the group with the maximum six points while Hong Kong are second on two points from three matches. North Korea, with one point after one match, are third with a better goal difference.

The 64-year-old Portuguese coach said that Beath’s unjust decisions had put a dent on Malaysia’s 2019 Asian Cup Finals aspirations.

Malaysia were reduced to nine men after defenders Rizal Ghazali and Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak were sent off for picking up their second bookings in stoppage time.

Beath also awarded a late penalty to Hong Kong which irked the Malaysian players and fans.

The match descended into chaos after the final whistle as Vingada and his players remonstrated angrily against the match officials.

“Nobody kicked or boxed the referee. It was a normal reaction as we are human beings. If this was in Egypt or in Iran, the referee would have problems leaving the stadium. We are very kind here,” said Vingada during the post-match conference.

“Players make mistakes, I make mistakes and the referee also make mistakes. Usually when a player or a coach makes a mistake, they could be sent off. But when a referee makes a mistake, they could still be in charge of the next game,” added Vingada.

Malaysia had to thank winger Mohd Syazwan Zainon and goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy for salvaging a point.

Syazwan scored the equaliser in the 56th minute after Hong Kong took the lead through striker Alessandro Leonardo in the 53rd minute.

Hafizul denied the visitors of a win when he saved a penalty in stoppage time from Leonardo.

“This was our best game compared to previous matches. We created many chances, our speed, attitude and determination were stronger than the earlier games. But we also made mistakes,” said Vingada.

“Many times when we were on the counter attack, the players insisted on dribbling when there were other players in better positions. If not we could be here talking about a win.

“Today was very hard for us because Hong Kong is not a weak side as many people think. We lost two points but now I believe we have a team and the players understand my philosophy.”

Malaysia’s next match will be against North Korea in Pyongyang on Oct 5.