Lack of firepower up front a point for coach Cheng Hoe to ponder

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian football team’s lack of capable strikers stood out like a sore thumb in the friendly match against Fiji at the Cheras Football Stadium.

The national team could only mustered a 1-0 win on Thursday and coach Tan Cheng Hoe will have to return to drawing board to solve the lack of firepower up front.

Syafiq Ahmad scored the winner in the 19th minute against Fiji who are ranked five rungs above Malaysia at 171 in the FIFA ranking list.

Aside from Syafiq’s winner, Malaysia’s play was dismal as Cheng Hoe angrily retorted: “The team needs to work on their attack, A number of their final passes could not penetrate the opponents’ defence. They need to keep playing short passes.”

Malaysia had to make do without regular strikers Ahmad Hazwan Bakri and prolific national Under-23 striker N. Thanabalan who were out injured while Shahrel Fikri Fauzi is focusing on club football after joining Thai side Nakhon Ratchasima recently.

Team skipper Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak was listed for the match but did not play because of fractured left hand.

Cheng Hoe ended up with only three strikers, Syafiq, Safawi Rasid and Shafiq Shaharudin and was left to rue his side’s wastefulness.

Shafiq who earned his first cap came in for the injured Syafiq in the 20th minute but failed to stamp his mark and was replaced by Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor at the start of the second half.

The hosts huffed and puffed but were unable to increase their goal tally but they succeeded in keeping a clean sheet to chalk up their second consecutive win.

Earlier, Malaysia thrashed Bhutan 7-0 on April 1.

Cheng Hoe’s who is rebuilding the national team, started the game with five Under-23 players, said that he’s happy with the win and the commitment of his men.

“It was a tough game for us as Fiji have better physique but my men showed commitment to win the game. What’s more important is that we could stick to our game plan,” said Cheng Hoe, a former international.