Simply pathetic
Tigers are pussycats in the face of Lions’ onslaught
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia looked lost in every corner of the pitch and hopeless in front of goal as they crashed to a humiliating 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Singapore in their opening AFF Suzuki Cup Group B match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
It was a similar start to their 2010 campaign when they lost 5-1 to Indonesia in their opening match. But, then, Malaysia went on to win the tournament.
Singapore were in total control with skipper Shahril Ishak scoring a brace in the 32nd and 37th minutes with substitute Aleksandar Duric adding the third in the 75th minute to hand the Lions a perfect start.
Yesterday’s defeat was Malaysia’s 12th in their last 13 meetings with their neighbours.
The writing was on the wall for Malaysia, who had a poor run-up to the tournament with defeats to Vietnam (1-0) and Thailand (2-0) and 1-1 draws with Hong Kong and Bangladesh in a series of friendly matches.
National coach Datuk K. Rajagopal only made two changes to the squad which was held 1-1 by Bangladesh in their final warm-up match last Tuesday.
Rajagopal brought in goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat and Mohd Azmi Muslim and the duo were at fault for conceding the goals.
A miscommunication between Fahmi and Azmi enabled Shahril to sneak in the opener after collecting a long range pass from Mohd Shaiful Esah.
Five minutes later, highly-rated Fahmi blundered again as he palmed Shahdan Sulaiman’s free-kick behind forcing Mohd Fadhli Shas to clear off the line. However, the weak clearance was headed in by the lurking Shahril.
The Malaysian attack led by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Mohd Safee Sali could not best the Singapore defence marshalled by Baihaki Khaizan. who was dominant throughout. Malaysian skipper Mohd Safiq Rahim and Amar Rohidan could not spark the attacks from the middle of the park, while flankers S. Kunalan and Mohd Khyrill Muyhmeen Zambri were ineffective with their predictable play.
The final humiliation came when the 42year-old Duric, who replaced Shahril in the 73rd minute, showed how easy it was to beat the Malaysian defence by scoring the Lions’ third goal after being on the pitch for only two minutes.
Rajagopal brought on wingers Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor and Azamuddin Akil in a futile attempt to get back into the game.
But they were never going to be a threat — such is the pathetic state of Malaysian football.
All that time, all that money spent on a fool’s errand. Call the cops.
It is a crime to lose to Singapore like this.