Best Harimau Malaya Performance In 42 Years - National Legends

By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- The tactical style shown by the national team in successfully qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup is the best performance of Harimau Malaya in the last 42 years, said national football legend Jamal Nasir Ismail. The former Pahang defender, who was in the national squad in the last Malaysian Asian Cup appearance in Kuwait 1980, said he was overwhelmed and proud of what Kim Pan Gon's squad had displayed. What made him felt really elated was the impressive quality of the game which enabled Malaysia to end the long 42-year wait to qualify on merit for the Asian Cup. “I could see this is the best game shown by Malaysia so far (since 1980), even if it took 42 years. “This is the new emergence of the Malaysian team which comprised almost the same players but with a different game plan. I think Pan Gon has changed the landscape of our game approach, ” he said when contacted by Bernama here. Commenting further, Jamal Nasir said he was fascinated by the "total football" tactical style which saw defenders Corbin Ong and Dion Cools also have the opportunity to score goals, thus making the action even more exciting. "Total football" is a tactical system in which players in the field except the goalkeeper are capable of taking on any role in a team. "It's just that we have to tidy up the defence which appears weak when there is a counter-attack, we have to avoid conceding easy goals," he said, who formed a strong national squad defence with Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh and Kamarudin Abdullah. Meanwhile, another national football legend, Khalid Ali, who is known for his vocal criticism of the national football squad said he was proven right with the new game play. According to the former Selangor player, the national line-up has the ability to play at the best level as shown in the three recent 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches. "I am really proud of the national team now, there seems to be a change. When I was in the stadium, I was like watching the national team play in the Pre-Olympic Qualifiers (his era)… the way they played and the spirit as a team. They were really exceptional, ” he said. At the same time, Khalid hoped that the latest performance could be further improved ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup so that Malaysia would not only participate, but also provide competition and try to achieve the best results. Therefore, he urged all parties to help the national team in their journey and preparation for the Asian Cup. "I hope the handling of the team will not be disrupted again by 'unseen hands', let them run smoothly. If we give Pan Gon a chance for another two to three years, maybe he will be able to strengthen the national team beyond the current limit, ” he said. On Tuesday, Pan Gon's squad made history by qualifying on merit for the Asian Cup after finishing second in Group E of the qualifiers, thus advancing as one of the top five runners-up from six groups. In the qualifiers which took place at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia started on the right foot when they beat Turkmenistan 3-1 before losing to Bahrain 1-2 and thrashing Bangladesh 4-1 in the last action. For the record, the last time Malaysia played in the Asian Cup was in the 2007 edition when they co-hosted, but failed to qualify on merit for more than four decades since the 1980 edition in Kuwait. -- BERNAMA