Harimau Malaya gave a dominating performance against defending champions Thailand in the first-leg AFF Suzuki Cup semi-finals at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday but flopped when it came to scoring and had to settle for a scoreless draw.
It was heartbreak for Tan Cheng Hoe and his bunch of fighters who did everything except to score – not from one or two chances but two dozen of scoring opportunities they either created or came their way.
Naturalized Gambina-born Malaysian Mohamadou Sumareh, Safawi Rasid, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and later Shahrel Fikri and Hazwan Bakri – all muffed their chances.
Sumareh, who has yet to score a goal in a tournament proper, missed the best chance of all and this was 25 minutes but the Pahang player sent his attempt inches past the right post.
The scoreless stalemate, however, gives Malaysia an even chance in this Wednesday’s return-leg at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok – the venue where the Thais registered big wins over Timor Leste (7-0), Indonesia (4-2) and Singapore (3-0) in their Group B matches.
Cheng Hoe, however, is pleased that his Harimau Malaya heeded his call not to concede an away goal to the Thais. This means both teams will start the return-leg on equal footing.
“We did not score but I am pleased and happy with the performance of my players. They showed commitment, discipline, confidence, and character against a strong team like Thailand.
“However, I must admit that we were not sharp in front of the goal. We need to be more composed with the scoring chances that we either create or come our way,” said Cheng Hoe.
Thailand has won the Suzuki Cup five times while Malaysia won once in 2010. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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