ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 9 (Bernama) — Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski expressed his pride in the team after last night’s 1-0 win over Palestine at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
The Australian coach said the players showed discipline, strong mentality and commitment despite facing a short turnaround during this international window.
“The first half was excellent, the first 60 minutes were very good. In the last 20 minutes, we had to defend strongly, and the players did that. I’m very proud we kept a clean sheet and got the victory.
“I believe in all Malaysian players. We made seven changes from the last game, plus six substitutions during the match, which can disrupt rhythm, but the players stayed committed.
“We beat Palestine, a very good side who qualified for the Asian Cup and are ranked in the world’s top 100. Credit to the players,” he told a press conference here last night.
The coach also stressed that Harimau Malaya focus on team mentality rather than individuals, highlighting that two victories against Singapore and Palestine in quick succession were a positive outcome.
“A great goal in the opening stage of the game is a goal from a training move that we do and a goal by design.
“It was the game that we expected, and within that, we knew what we needed to execute to get the victory as a team. We don’t focus on one player, we focus on the team. Like I said, I just want to give all the credit to the players and I’m happy with all of the players,” he added.
He further added that Harimau Malaya will now shift focus to preparing for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, with emphasis on passing accuracy, set-pieces and maintaining consistency ahead of October.
Malaysia secured a 1-0 victory over Palestine, a team ranked among the top 100 in the world, in a Tier 1 international match.
The only goal of the match was scored by striker Joao Figueiredo, who found the net for the third consecutive time with Harimau Malaya after converting a low cross from Quentin Cheng on the right as early as the third minute.
Meanwhile, Palestine head coach Ehab Abu Jazar admitted that the absence of several key players was one of the factors in his team’s loss against Malaysia.
Despite the defeat, Jazar congratulated Malaysia on the victory and praised their overall progress.
“Of course, it affects us. But at the same time, it was a chance for us to see new players and those who did not play in the last matches.
“However, congratulations to the Malaysian team. We knew it was not going to be an easy match because Malaysia is a developed and strong team,” he said.
— BERNAMA
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