Fighting words after sound thrashing

will be back stronger.”

These were the soothing words of forward Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil after the 7-0 thrashing by the Netherlands at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.

So, what happened Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin?

“We gave them too much respect and lost ours instead,” said the 32-year-old, who is known as (Zinedine) Zidane by his peers.

He tried his best in attack, ran to support the midfield, and was seen defending against the Dutch onslaught — but ‘A Few Good Men’ do not win wars, unlike in Hollywood movies.

Silently, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin must have missed support from his ‘Band of Brothers’ during the match.

Looking at the bright side, he added, “We still have two more matches to make amends and all is not lost.

“So, we need to play like our lives hinge on them.”

He walked away with a smile, again soothing some of the disappointment displayed by Malaysia minutes ago.

Hopefully, the other 16 players, not counting goalkeeper S. Kumar, will have the same confidence as Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin in the days to come.

Kumar was at his element, and nobody can blame him for the seven, as he saved seven other point blank shots.