Malaysia U-23 head coach Ong Kim Swee was proud of his boys’ defensive display in their 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship on Tuesday night.
The win booked Malaysia’s quarter-final spot in their first-ever appearance at the tournament, leaving Ong delighted with his young players.
"I am very satisfied in terms of the result," said Ong in a post-match press conference.
"To get into the quarter-finals is history for us, and we are able to prove that we have a bunch of players who can play in the future.
"The players showed character, determination, and that they can compete with superior teams, not only with Jordan [whom we drew 1-1 with] and Saudi, whom we had not beaten in years.
"[To beat Saudi] was a massive achievement for our football."
The victory did not come easy, though, as the 2013 runners-up had a lion’s share of ball possession, pinning the Tigers inside their own half to defend with all their might.
"We have prepared the team in every kind of condition, whether we are going to play defensive or offensive," Ong elaborated on his team's tactics.
"After getting the first goal, we knew Saudi would come with everybody towards our defence.
"When you defend, you need to be really disciplined, and we did that and cut off a lot of penetration passes and crosses."
Malaysia's quarter-final opponents will be determined today, with South Korea facing Australia and Syria taking on Vietnam in Group D.
They will face the Group D winners on January 20.
(Picture: asiana.my)
The win booked Malaysia’s quarter-final spot in their first-ever appearance at the tournament, leaving Ong delighted with his young players.
"I am very satisfied in terms of the result," said Ong in a post-match press conference.
"To get into the quarter-finals is history for us, and we are able to prove that we have a bunch of players who can play in the future.
"The players showed character, determination, and that they can compete with superior teams, not only with Jordan [whom we drew 1-1 with] and Saudi, whom we had not beaten in years.
"[To beat Saudi] was a massive achievement for our football."
The victory did not come easy, though, as the 2013 runners-up had a lion’s share of ball possession, pinning the Tigers inside their own half to defend with all their might.
"We have prepared the team in every kind of condition, whether we are going to play defensive or offensive," Ong elaborated on his team's tactics.
"After getting the first goal, we knew Saudi would come with everybody towards our defence.
"When you defend, you need to be really disciplined, and we did that and cut off a lot of penetration passes and crosses."
Malaysia's quarter-final opponents will be determined today, with South Korea facing Australia and Syria taking on Vietnam in Group D.
They will face the Group D winners on January 20.
(Picture: asiana.my)
