Malaysia produced a huge upset by defeating South Korea by a narrow 2-1 scoreline. South Korea were the defending Asian Games champions and in their team was the Tottenham Hotspur star player Son Heung-Min. Very few Malaysian football fans would give a sliver of hope to the Malaysian football team to win this game. This is because Malaysian footballing standards have been deteriorating as the years go by. Before the match, I expected the South Korean team to give the Malaysian team a thrashing.
I was wrong.
The Malaysian team were calm and composed. They defended fearlessly against their physically stronger counterparts. Physically, in terms of height, strength or speed, the South Koreans clearly had the upper hand. Although lacking in speed, the Malaysian team nullified the South Koreans' attack by maintaining good teamwork. The Malaysian defense was far from perfect, but South Korea was still unable to penetrate the stubborn Malaysian defense. I believe that if a neutral football fan were to spectate the Malaysia-South Korea without knowing the identities of the players, they would not have thought that this match was a David vs Goliath match.
The Malaysian team generally played a passive game, and pounced when the opportunity presents itself. A clash between the South Korean goalkeeper and his own defender caused the ball to slip out of his hands and one Malaysian player quickly slotted the ball home. Malaysia were very fortunate to get their first goal as the South Koreans had been dictating much of the gameplay. The South Koreans continued to press forward, hoping to get a quick equaliser. Just before the half-time whistle, Malaysia grabbed another goal through the same goalscorer, Safawi Rashid.
The second half commence with the same South Korean high-pressing game with several long balls. The Malaysian team hardly caused any trouble by parking the bus firmly. Son Heung-Min finally made his appearance several minutes later in hopes of overcoming the 2-0 deficit. It was more intensed and the ball stayed at the Malaysian half for long periods with the South Koreans seemingly closer to getting their first goal. The South Koreans finally broke through the resilient Malaysian defense after UJ Hwang beat the offside trap before 90 minutes were up. With 4 minutes of injury time, would the Malaysian team crack under pressure?
No, they didn't.
Despite playing a mundane game, the tactics worked. Defending with 10 players, clearing the ball instead of passing, faking injuries, etc. were among the key features of the Malaysian second half. At the last minute of injury-time, the Malaysian goalkeeper was issued a yellow card for time-wasting. But it was all worth it as long as they got the result they wanted. Football purists would be mad at both teams for a lacklustre performance, especially at Malaysia for a Jose Mourinho style of parking the bus after getting the lead.
Indeed, it wasn't as entertaining as those high profile Champions League matches. However, it was a game which showed that the underdogs would come out tops someday if you work hard enough and remained focused on the prize, along with a little luck.
*Image credits to pexels