Coach Bojan waxing lyrical after loss in AFF final

PETALING JAYA: National Under19 coach Bojan Hodak reckons that his team can only get better despite the disappointing loss in the final of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-19 Championship.

The team’s unbeaten run in the competition came to an end with a 2-0 loss to 10-man Thailand in the final at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Sunday.

The loss was Malaysia’s fourth defeat in the final, having also lost to Myanmar (4-0 in 2003 and 1-0 in 2005) and Vietnam (1-0 in 2007).

Hodak felt that his side, who had held Thailand to a 1-1 draw in their final Group A match on Sept 12, were the better team in the final.

The Thais took the lead through Ekanit Panya in the 49th minute before extending it through Kritsada Kaman two minutes later.

“This bunch of players have never played in any AFF tournaments before and their international exposure is very limited. We only prepared for two weeks and only had 10 training sessions because we were actually cutting the 40 player squad to 23,” said Hodak yesterday.

“Despite the short preparation time, the boys got good results. They were willing to learn and listen to instructions. The run to the final shows that they have potential. We need to change their bad habits, improve on their tactical play and get them to play as a team.

“The biggest problem in Yangon was their inability to hold on to the ball when under pressure, especially in midfield. In the final, we were so much better. That bodes well for the future.”

The 46-year-old Hodak will now shift his focus to the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers in South Korea from Oct 31-Nov 8.

Malaysia are drawn with hosts South Korea, Timor Leste, Brunei and Indonesia in Group F.

Croatian Hodak said that he would scout for more talents in the President’s Cup and Youth Cup competitions to bolster the squad.

“We will scout for new players by watching the President’s Cup and Youth Cup quarter- final matches. We will start training again in early October,” said Hodak.