A first-half horror show from national goalkeeper Mohd Helmi Eliza allowed Selangor to lift the Charity Shield with a stylish 4-1 victory over 10-man Kedah at the Darulaman Stadium here last night.
A brace from skipper Mohd Amri Yahyah and strikes from Zameer Zainun and Safee Sali allowed K. Devan to deliver a silverware in just his first competitive match as Selangor coach. But the Red Giants, who ended a nine-match winless streak against the Canaries with last night’s win, had the bungling Helmi to thank for the victory. The win also earned Selangor three points for their 2009 Super League challenge.
The treble champions fell behind after just three minutes following a costly mistake by Kedah skipper A. Victor. The experienced defender hauled down national striker Safee right on the edge of the box. Stung by the early goal, the Canaries went in search of an equaliser but were let down by their toothless front-line led by new signing Azrul Ahmad.
Instead, it was the Red Giants who looked more dangerous every time they broke away to make quick counter-attacks. And it did not come as a surprise when the visitors went two-up after 33 minutes. Youngster Zameer was given acres of space on the right flank to make a long-range attempt at goal. To the Selangor player’s delight, Helmi made a hash of the save and allowed the ball to trickle over the line.
Helmi, who came under fire for his mistakes during Malaysia’s 2-3 defeat to Vietnam during last month’s Suzuki Cup, was again at fault for Selangor’s third goal just two minutes later. He came off his line to collect a swinging free-kick from R. Surendren, but was beaten to the ball by the nippy Amri who headed into an unguarded net. Helmi’s confidence was clearly shattered, and it was only a matter of minutes before Kedah coach Mohd Azraai Khor substituted him with Al-Hafiz Hamzah.
The home side came out with their guns blazing in the second half, with Khyril Muhymeen and Afif Amiruddin both coming close to beating Mohd Hamsani Ahmad in the Selangor goal. But Kedah’s comeback hopes were dashed in the 54th minute after striker Mohd Farizal Rozali was sent off by referee Subkhiddin Salleh for planting his studs into Hamsani’s face after the keeper dived to make a save. Selangor immediately capitalised on their one-man advantage. Safee made it 4-0 in the 58th minute when his shot from the edge of the box hit the upright and sailed into goal.
Midfielder Khyril’s strike for Kedah in the dying minutes proved to be nothing more than a face-saving gesture in front of the sell-out 30,000 crowd. TheStarOnline
Malaysia v Laos
Malaysia staged a late show in the opening game of Group B of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 to beat Laos 3-0 at the Surakul Stadium. Following a first half deadlock, substitute Mohd Safee Sali nailed a brace with goals in the 68th and 90th minute as Indra Putra Mahayuddin scored the other goal in the 72nd minute for the win.
The heavy rain just before the start of the match affected the quality of the pitch as both teams struggled to maintain possession and make the clean passes in slippery conditions. It was Malaysia who dictated the early pace with Shukor Adan and Mohd Hardi Jaafar stoking the engine room for the strike pair of Hairuddin Omar and Indra Putra Mahayuddin.
But in spite of the early effort, Malaysia just can't seem to break through the Laotian defence which defended in numbers. The best that they could muster in the opening half was two freekicks which came frustratingly close off Hardi and Indra Putra Mahyuddin.
Malaysia then made several changes after the break when they brought on Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak for Mohd Hardi Jaafar and Mohd Safee Sali for Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal. That change the rhythm of the game as Malaysia pushed forward and in the 68th minute, they finally broke the deadlock when Safee blasted in a corner from Indra. Four minutes later, Malaysia went 2-0 off a freekick from Indra who slammed home to the right of the Laos goal. Safee then wrapped up the night with the third goal deep in injury time.
Thailand v Vietnam
Two goals in the first half was enough for hosts Thailand to see off Vietnam when they scored a 2-0 win in the second game of Group B of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 here at the Surakul Stadium. The Thais, playing in their first competitive tournament under head coach Peter Reid, blasted in the lead on 34th minute from Sutee Suksomkit before Suchao Nutnum added the second in the 45th minute.
Spurred by an almost full attendance, the Thais started the match confidently and although the knock on midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao has now caused a worry on his continued participation for the next match. But with Thailand clearly winning the midfield battle, the constant pressure on Vietnam caused them to make several mistakes. And add to the slippery conditions, tempers flared in the opening half as referee Abdul Malik Basir flashed out several cautions.
In the 34th minute, the Thais finally went in front when Sutee curled a freekick past a Vietnam wall to push the fans to their feet. With seconds remaining to the break, Thailand nailed their second goal when Sutee capitalized on goalkeeper mistake to put the Thais comfortably in front. Vietnam made a flurry of changes in the second half but that did little to change the result as Thailand just sat back all the way to the finish line.
Next Fixtures;
7/12/08 - Group A
17:00 : Singapore v Myanmar
19:90 : Cambodia v Indonesia
8/12/08 - Group B
17:00 : Malaysia v Vietnam
19.30 : Laos v Thailand
The message from the top is clear for Malaysia national coach B. Sathianathan – put on a good performance during December's AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 or else.
While the order may not have been succinctly delivered to Sathia, the underlying notion from Khairy Jamaluddin, the deputy president of the FA of Malaysia (FAM) following an Exco meeting recently, is that the Malaysian parent body is prepared to take swift action in the event of further disappointment. The FAM have already shortlisted candidates to guide the Malaysia Under-23 squad for the SEA Games which will be held in Laos next year.
“We have a shortlist of candidates and we will announce them soon. And the national U-23 squad will begin training in January considering that they will be the main priority for 2009,” said Khairy. But the senior team will not be overlooked becasue we have arranged for international friendlies for them since we need to pick up the points to further improve our international ranking.”Sathia, who guided the Malaysian team to the Merdeka Tournament last year, fell short this time round when they lost out in the final to Vietnam.
In the recent Grand Royal Challenge Cup 2008, Malaysia were the losing semi-finalists when they lost to eventual champions Myanmar. For the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008, Malaysia have been placed in Group B which will be based in Bangkok where they will be up against hosts Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. In Group A in Jakarta are Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia. goal
MALAYSIA 0 VIETNAM 0
(after extra time, Vietnam win 6-5 on penalties)
VIETNAM stuck to their game plan for 120 minutes and their reward was the Merdeka Tournament title after they first held free-scoring Malaysia to a 0-0 draw and then won the lottery of penalties 6-5 at the National Stadium last night.Norhafiz Zamani Misbah was the Malaysian "villain", missing the first of the sudden death penalties while Mai Tien Thanh converted his effort but it was an unfair result as the national team played much better than their opponents and deserved to win. Their form en route to the final, which saw them scoring 18 goals and conceding none, certainly pointed to the title being retained convincingly.
But Vietnam, preparing for next year's Laos Sea Games, would soon prove to be far tougher opponents and they lived up to their promise to keep a close eye on the Malaysian forwards.
Vietnam's game plan was to defend in numbers with quick counter attacks and the offside trap at every opportunity and in one of these situations, Indra slotted the ball into the net in the seventh minute only for the linesman to intervene with his flag. Malaysia kept pressing but failed to make half chances count as Shukor Adan headed straight to Vietnam keeper Bui Tan Truong.
Vietnam had a chance of their own two minutes later but skipper Mai Xuan Hop's effort from close range was blocked by Irwan Fadhli. It had been a largely uneventful first half and the script didn't change much in the second as Malaysia continued pressing but lacked the final touch while Vietnam were content with the occasional counter attack.
One added ingredient though was overly robust play and one incident in the 70th minute, which saw a Vietnam player sprawled on the pitch following a challenge, resulted in assistant coach Khoa Hung Binh being sent to the stands for his protests. The remaining minutes were equally uneventful, forcing extra time but the additional 30 minutes remained goalless and when it came to penalties, Vietnam proved just why they played for the 120 minutes as they scored all six to lift the Merdeka Tournament title for the first time. NST
It turned out to be easier than expected as Malaysia, thanks to a more aggressive approach in the second half, beat Myanmar 4-0 in their Merdeka Tournament semi-final at the National Stadium yesterday. The final is against Vietnam but Malaysia will be confident as yesterday's win was again achieved without conceding a goal and there is every reason to believe that the title will be defended successfully tomorrow.
Perhaps the pressure of the semi-final got to the national team as Malaysia took some time to settle down and Myanmar didn't make it easier as they didn't give their opponents much time on the ball. Myanmar had promised to work hard and that they did as Malaysia were limited to mere half chances.
To Malaysia's credit, they continued trying to breach the Myanmar defence and their efforts were rewarded in the 26th minute when Indra Putra Mahayuddin struck from a freekick. The momentum was with Malaysia after that but as they surged forward in search of a second goal, gaps opened in defence and the national team had a narrow escape in the 40th minute when Myat Min found his way through again but his shooting was woeful.
As Malaysia headed for the dressing room at half time, the thought must have been that the job was not done and that translated into an even more aggressive approach at the restart. They should have gone two up in the 54th minute but Amirulhadi Zainal's header was cleared on the line by Myanmar defender Aye San.
But Malaysia were not to be denied their second and Safee Sali, who has been a standout in the tournament, widened the lead in the 61st minute when, after receiving the ball from Hardi Jaafar, he broke through and slotted home from close range. Malaysia's third came from the penalty spot after Aye San brought down Safee in the 76th minute. Indra easily converted. Indra turned provider for the fourth as his pass found Amirulhadi who placed the ball into the far right in the 84th minute.
In the other semi-final, Vietnam needed penalty kicks to advance against Sierra Leone after extra time ended 2-2. Vietnam, here with a squad being prepared for next year's Sea Games, won the shootout 3-2.
Sierra Leone had only themselves to blame as they led 2-0, thanks to Mohammad Kabia (39th) and Dwight Foray (68th minute), but the tide turned into Vietnam's favour when Trinnh Quang Vinh scored their first.
Vietnam pulled no punches in search of the equaliser and seven minutes from time, Nguyen Duc Thien drew them level to force extra-time, which produced no further goals. And Sierra Leone's nightmare was complete when they proved hopeless from the penalty spot and Vietnam now stand in Malaysia's way for back-to-back titles. NST
Full results
MALAYSIA 4 - 0 Myanmar
Vietnam 2 - 2 Sierra Leone
Vietnam won penalty shootout 3-2
Malaysia will play Myanmar in the Merdeka Tournament semi-final on Thursday after registering an easy 6-0 win over Afghanistan in their final Group A match at the National Stadium yesterday. It will be a repeat of last year's final, which Malaysia won 3-1, but the national side will start as favorites though Myanmar are packed with experienced players.
Yesterday, national coach B. Sathianathan opted to give his fringe players a chance to impress and they grabbed the opportunity against an Afghanistan side who were clearly not in Malaysia's class.
SCORER :
Ashaari Samsuddin (21,64)
Nizaruddin Yusof (41)
Zaquan Adha (44)
Safee Sali (85)
Hairuddin Omar(87)
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone also in Semi Final after defeat Nepal 3-1 at Stadium Shah Alam. Earlier, Myanmar defeated Mozambique 3-2 in their final Group B match while tournament favorites Vietnam were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw by Bangladesh..
SEMI FINAL MERDEKA CUP 2008
MALAYSIA vs MYANMAR
SIERRA LEONE vs VIETNAM
Come on Malaysia's fan, support our team :-)
Malaysia through to Semi Final Merdeka Cup 2008 with a mission to retain their title after defeat Sierra Leone 4-0 in Group A match at Stadium MBPJ Petaling Jaya yesterday night. This is the second win for home team with the same results after defeat Nepal two days ago.
Goals are by Indra Putra Mahyuddin (69), Safee Sali (75), Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak (79) and his twin Aidil Zaquan Abdul Razak (90)
Meanwhile, in the same group Nepal and Afghanistan drew 2-2.
Players
MALAYSIA: Helmi Eliza Elias, Daudsu Jamaludin, Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Irwan Fadzli Idrus, Amirulhadi Zainal (Khyril Muhymeen Zambri), Shukor Adan (kapten) (Kaironnisam Sahabudin Husain), Hairuddin Omar (Hardi Jaafar), Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak, Safee Sali
Sierra Leone: Lansana Jalloh (Mohamed Kanu), Dwight Foray, Alfree Sanu, Gibrilla Fofanah, Salify Samura (kapten), Mumino Khomson Kamara, Alusine Turay (Mamadu Lajor Bah), Lahai Freeman Chandus (Sulaiman Kamara), Mohamed Kabia, Issa Kamara.
Defending Champion of Merdeka Cup defeat Nepal by 4-0 in Group A match yesterda at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya
However, Nepal, ranked 175 in the FIFA world ranking kept the Malaysian strike force at bay for the first 20 minutes before Indraputra Mahayuddin struck the first blow. In the 25th minute, Mohd Safee made it 2-0 with a brilliantly executed bicycle kick off a pass from Mohd Sukor Adan, that completely caught Nepal goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa by surprise.
Three minutes into the second half, Mohd Safee added his second and Malaysia's third after some good work by Indraputra. Substitute Mohd Khyril Muhymeen Zambry who came on for Mohd Zaquan Adha Abd Radzak in the 46th minute, immediately made an impact by adding his name to the score sheet in the 48th minute to give the 3,000 odd fans some reason to cheer - Bernama
Merdeka Cup Football Tournament for year 2008 organized by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will be starting today untill 25 October 2008. This is the 40th edition of the Merdeka Cup
Last year on 39th edition, Malaysia with player under 23 were the champion after beating Myanmar 3-1 and that was the 9th time champion for Malaysia and 7th time runner-up. It make Malaysia leading the most winner team in Merdeka Cup history
There’s 8 teams taking part, and will be divided into 2 grouping:
Malaysia
Sierra Leone
Nepal
Afghanistan
Group B (Stadium Shah Alam)
Myanmar
Mozambigue
Bangladesh
Vietnam
Tickets are priced at RM10 (2 matches a day) at Grouping matches; and RM20 for the Semi-Final and Final matches; while Kids under 5 are priced at RM5. Tickets can be obtained at the stadium counter on match day. So, hope Malaysia Team will retain their trophy and to all Malaysian, please support our team.
Posts
