Tough tusk
Harimau Malaya’s home record against War Elephants offers no advantage
The Harimau Malaya should not fear Thailand’s War Elephants when they collide in the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final first leg tonight – going by Malaysia’s proud record. Malaysia have not lost to Thailand at home in 47 years and the Thais’ only win here came at the 1971 Merdeka Tournament. But that statistic won’t alarm the Elephants as their tusks are out to crack the hosts in their own backyard as Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac said: “Records are there to be broken.”
KUALA LUMPUR: The War Elephants will be out to end Harimau Malaya’s invincibility at home in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-finals at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight.
Malaysia have not lost to Thailand at home in 47 years and the Thais’ only win on Malaysian soil came at the 1971 Merdeka Tournament where they won 2-0.
Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac said records are meant to be broken and will ensure his players play as a team to get a positive result in front of a sell-out crowd of 80,000.
Defending champions Thailand are the overwhelming favourites after ending the group stage unbeaten with a total of 15 goals scored in four matches. However, Malaysia’s 3-0 win over Myanmar in the final group match at the National Stadium shows that Tan Cheng Hoe’s men are hitting form after a slow start.
“Traditions exist but everybody tries to break these traditions. They are there to be broken and we’ll try to do that tomorrow,” said Serbian Rajevac in the pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We’re trying to play as a team, the players need to be aware there are two posts in a match – which is our post and the opponent’s – and the ability to play in both directions is the key. We need to attack as a team and defend as a team. It’s important to focus on the game.”
Cheng Hoe is on guard against conceding goals in the home leg but he’s not planning on playing a defensive game throughout the match.
“I’ll be happy as long as we don’t concede a goal but we will not get a good result if we just defend – we have to attack and also be aware of the opposition’s attacks because they have the quality. My defenders have to be very careful and focused on Thailand’s transitions,” he added.
The former international added that the fans might be expecting a comfortable win at home but pointed out that Thailand’s strength in depth makes them formidable opponents.
“It will be 180 minutes of football and we’ll have to go on to the pitch with good momentum. Everybody is aware of the talent, quality and experience running through the Thailand squad. They are composed and patient,” said Cheng Hoe.
“It’s not just Adisak (Kraisorn) or Sanrawat (Dechmitr), you can see that Thailand have the most balanced squad in the tournament. They’re not only good in attack but also have very experienced defenders who have commanded the backline very well.”
The second-leg semi-final is scheduled to be held at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Dec 5.