Defeat just the beginning for this team, says Cheng Hoe

HANOI: This is not the end, it’s just the beginning.

Calling Malaysia’s journey “amazing”, national Coach Tan Cheng Hoe said the players weren’t at their best in the first two games of the AFF Suzuki Cup but improved considerably to reach the two-legged final.

“They regained their confidence when they played Myanmar in the Group A match. After that, we continued our good momentum.

“In the final, we played well but it was not good enough. I’ve to compliment the players for their effort,” Cheng Hoe said after the second-leg final against Vietnam at the MyDinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday.

“We have a bunch of young play- ers who would surely perform in the future. Our game philosophy should be maintained and we have a long way to go. This is not the end.”

Malaysia’s dream of winning the AFF Suzuki Cup for the second time was shattered after they were beaten 1-0 by Vietnam in the second-leg final.

The defeat meant Cheng Hoe’s side lost 3-2 on aggregate as Vietnam deservedly won their second Suzuki Cup after a decade.

In the match, Malaysia had 58% possession with 13 attempts at the Vietnam goal. Four were on target but Vietnam’s defence proved too strong.

“In our three games against Vietnam in this tournament, we conceded early goals. In the second-leg final, their early goal affected our performance and confidence.

“We should have equalised. An equaliser would have helped us mount a fightback. To me, the players have given their all. I hope they will be stronger after this experience.”

The former Kedah coach said Vietnam have been improving in the last two years thanks to their compact yet attacking football.

The methods used by Cheng Hoe have been lauded by many football purists for playing efficient and attacking possession football, and some have called it “Cheng HoeBall”.

Some of the players in the Suzuki Cup squad, especially Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, have said that this might be their last tournament.

When asked how is he going to replace the veterans in future squads, Cheng Hoe said: “We have to keep on believing in our philosophy. To move to the next level, we need belief.

“In the future, we’ll have a team of players who fit our style of play. All the players in this squad worked very hard.

“I hope future squads would be able to emulate the current team’s style,” he said.