Ticket to World Cup beckons Under-16 team

2014, the national Under-16 team almost qualified for the Under-17 World Cup via the AFC Championship in Bangkok.

A member of that team, R. Kogileswaran, now hopes Lim Teong Kim’s side can bring redemption to the disappointment of the 2014 edition at the AFC Under-16 Championship, which starts on Thursday, in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia would have qualified for the Under-17 World Cup (in Chile) had they defeated Australia in the quarter-finals in 2014. S. Balachandran’s side lost 2-1.

Kogileswaran, who now plays for Pahang, believes Teong Kim’s squad, groomed under the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), have the quality to do better than the 2014 squad.

The top four teams in the upcoming AFC Championship will qualify for the Under-17 World Cup in Peru.

Malaysia will open their Group A campaign against Tajikistan on Thursday, followed by Thailand (Sunday) and Japan (Sept 26) at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

“In 2014, we almost did it. We were unlucky in the quarter-finals. We were very disappointed then as we came very close to qualifying for the Under-17 World Cup.

“We lost that match because we made mistakes after taking the lead. Australia were not strong then.

“I hope this time, the Under-16 team will do it. They must try their best,” said Kogileswaran, who has two senior caps.

The forward reminded Teong Kim’s players to be confident and also to avoid mistakes during their matches.

“The players need to have the self-belief that they can do it. Patience is key during matches. They should focus and play to instructions as at this level, a team will be punished severely for making mistakes,” he added.