AL RAYAN, QATAR, January 21 – Midfielder Mohamed Shamel Kuti Abba lost 1-0 to Bahrain in the second leg of Group E of the 2023 Asian Cup competition here last night. He later said Malaysia was unlucky not to get at least one point.
Mohamed Shamaa, who started in the main squad until being replaced by Nacho Insa in the second half, said the team gave their all both defensively and offensively throughout the 90 minutes of play at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
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However, the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player said luck was in Bahrain’s favor as Bahrain found the back of the net in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time to seal victory in the first meeting between the two teams at the Asian Cup. I let it happen.
“It’s unfortunate that we conceded a goal in the final minute, but this is football. Even though we defended a lot in this game, we still counterattacked and gave our best for 90 minutes.
“They (Bahrain) were the better team, but we played as a team and that late goal ‘killed’ us,” the 27-year-old said after the match.
Malaysia’s second defeat of the season under coach Kim Pangong meant they were eliminated from the competition, failing to achieve their goal of reaching the round of 16. But Mohamed Shamar wants to see it in a positive light.
“Whenever we are not successful, there is always something to learn and improve for the future,” he said, adding that the game against Bahrain was a tough one and the team played with a different tactical approach than against Bahrain. admitted that. Jordan last Monday.
Mohamed Shamar was one of four players who stopped to speak to Malaysian media after the match, along with naturalized striker Paulo Josue and two traditional players, Nacho Insa and Stuart Wilkin. Ta.
Other players on the Harimau Malaya squad, particularly those who played last night, declined to be interviewed. These include goalkeeper Ahmad Shihan Hazmi Mohamed, winger Arif Ayman Mohd Hanapi and central defender Dion Cools.
Meanwhile, Josue said the team needs to learn and learn as much as possible from this tournament in order to be better prepared to compete in the next competition.
“I think it is important for Malaysia to come here and understand the tournament, how tough it is, the pitch (conditions), the opponents. For the next tournament, for the players who will be playing next. I think it’s time to learn and fight.” Once again (next edition).
“With more experience and understanding the tournament more, they will be able to improve even more,” said the 35-year-old Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC player.
He also did not feel that Pangong was fully responsible after the Korean player blamed himself for not being able to lead his team to the knockout stage.
“We’re all in this together…we lose and we win together. We have a great coaching staff that analyzes everything and provides us with new information. “And we all need to take responsibility. We need to keep moving forward because we have a chance to qualify for the next Asian Cup,” he said.
Malaysia will conclude their remaining Group E matches against two-time champions South Korea at Al Janob Stadium on Thursday.
Last night’s defeat means Malaysia have yet to make it past the group stage in four Asian Cup appearances since 1976 in Iran, 1980 in Kuwait and 2007 when they co-hosted the tournament. — Bernama