Although they were eliminated, coach Kim Pan-gon (53) was recognized for his achievements in the first ‘Southeast Asia World Cup’ in which many key players were missing.
Malaysia lost 0-3 in the second leg of the semifinals of the 2022 AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Mitsubishi Electric Cup against Thailand held at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand on the 10th (Korean time).
Malaysia, who dreamed of advancing to the final by winning 1-0 in the first leg, allowed Tirasil Dangda the opening goal in the 19th minute of the first half, then Bordil Pala in the 10th minute of the second half and Adisak Kreisorn in the 26th minute of the second half. was defeated and eliminated.
Malaysia was unfortunately eliminated against Thailand, but after being eliminated in the group stage of the last 2020 competition, it achieved the result of advancing to the final tournament again. This is the best performance since advancing to the finals in 2018 under former coach Tan Cheng Ho.
What made coach Kim Pan-gon’s achievement even more impressive was that Malaysian key players did not participate in the tournament, and the result was achieved.
This tournament is organized by AFF and not by FIFA (International Football Federation). Because of that, clubs are not obligated to recruit players on a compulsory basis.
As the Johor Darul Takjim club, the strongest team in the Malaysian league, refused to recruit players for this tournament, coach Kim Pan-gon could not use most of the key players used during the 2023 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Asian Cup qualifiers.
During the Asian Cup qualifiers, all but three of the best eleven players against Bahrain, a strong player in the Middle East, were Johor players. Especially for the defense, Johor players are the main players. 먹튀검증
Coach Kim Pan-gon, who used Johor players to advance to the Asian Cup finals in half a century, could not use these players in this tournament.
Nevertheless, coach Kim Pan-gon reorganized the team with a new squad. He observed a large number of players in Malaysia’s national league and selected various players to refine the organization.
In particular, while captain Safawi Rashid (25) faltered, the attacking team, centered on Faisal Halim (25), played a big role and led the team to the semifinals.
In the final group stage match against Singapore, Malaysia was on the verge of being eliminated. At a press conference held the day before the game, manager Kim Pan-gon asked for support from the people of Malaysia, saying, “I want to win the game tomorrow and make Malaysia a festival.”
The Bukit Jalil Stadium was packed with full spectators, and Malaysia defeated Singapore 4-1, turning Malaysia into a celebration.