KUALA LUMPUR: Coach Nafuzi Zain hailed his players’ response after bouncing back from their 1-0 defeat to Lebanon with a 7-0 win over Mongolia, but admitted their qualification for the Under-23 Asian Cup still depends on the match against hosts Thailand on Tuesday at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani.
“We got three valuable points, and congratulations to the players for making a comeback after the loss to Lebanon.” said Nafuzi at the Thammasat Stadium in Bangkok yesterday.
For Nafuzi, the match was not just about the scoreline , but about timing and momentum.
“There’s only one way to progress, which is to do well against Thailand. Maybe after this win (against Mongolia) , the confidence of the players will increase,” he said.
Fergus Tierney scored a hat-trick against Mongolia, Aliff Izwan Yuslan had a brace with two assists and Aysar Hadi and substitute Ziad El Basheer each scored once.
“Against Thailand, it will be tough, but that is the challenge we must be ready for,” said Nafuzi.
After Lebanon’s 2-2 draw against Thailand, both sides have four points each, while Malaysia are third in Group F.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
