FIFA WORLD CUP | 2023 Asian Cup: Malaysia Draw with South Korea | PM Anwar congratulates Harimau Malaya
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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulated the Harimau Malaya squad for giving South Korea a run for their money in their last Group E match of the 2023 Asian Cup at the Al Janoub Stadium, Qatar today.
Through a brief post on X, Anwar thanked the national football team on behalf of all Malaysians and urged the squad to continue to strive and not give up.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingMalaysia came close to defeating the two-time champion before settling for a 3-3 draw in the match. Following this result, South Korea remains in second position in Group E with five points, while Malaysia gains one point.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh described the result as ‘the biggest gift’ to Harimau Malaya fans.
“Harimau Malaya stamped our mark on the Asian stage. We will be back in the next Asian Cup! This draw against Korea is the biggest gift to Harimau Malaya fans in Qatar and all across Malaysia.
“When we put our heart and soul into everything we do, the world will notice. #RoadToGold… Mr Kim Pan Gon- you rock! Datuk Hamidin of FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) – Congratulations FAM,” she said in a post on her official Facebook tonight. -Bernama
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Pan Gon expresses pride in Harimau Malaya after pulsating draw against South Korea
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DOHA: National head coach Kim Pan Gon praised the outstanding performance of Harimau Malaya as they secured a 3-3 draw against two-time champions South Korea in their last Group E match of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Janoub Stadium here today.
The 54-year-old South Korean also thanked the Malaysian government, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), clubs and local supporters for their unconditional support towards his side.
Pan Gon acknowledged the difficulty in motivating his players ahead of tonight’s match against the Taegeuk Warriors after running out of contention for the round of 16.
“For us, a fantastic result. It was a great game and I’m grateful to all the players. It was very difficult to motivate the players for this game actually because we failed to go to the round of 16 but we tried to tell the players that we’re facing Asia’s top team, Premier League top scorer and Bundesliga defender. So it’s a great challenge.
“I’m very proud of my players. We struggled in the first half but we came back in the second half. The equaliser at the end is an amazing result for us. Korea is top quality; you can see from the possession stats. We will gain a lot from this experience,” he told a post-match press conference.
Commenting on the opponents, Pan Gon said: “We found some Korean weak points but given our level, it was not easy to exploit. I fully respect the Korean team. It was very tough and cannot be compared to our first two games. Teams can struggle sometimes against teams who play compactly but hopefully, Korea can go far,” he said.
In the thrilling match that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Malaysia pulled off the remarkable draw against South Korea, led by German coach Jurgen Klinsmann, when substitute Romel Morales found the net at the end of 15 minutes of added time.
Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong drew first blood for South Korea in the 21st minute before Malaysia fought back to lead after 17 minutes in the second half with goals from Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim’s strike and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s penalty.
However, South Korea equalised with just 10 minutes of regulation time left through an own goal by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, before taking the lead at 3-2 through a penalty by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min in added time.
The draw against the world number 23 is not only a testament to Malaysia’s football prowess but also a source of inspiration for the team to continue striving for excellence on the international stage.
The result meant South Korea remained in second spot in the group with five points while Malaysia ended the tournament with one point and the satisfaction of scoring three goals against one of Asia’s giants.
Bahrain finished as the group champions after beating Jordan 1-0 to amass six points but the defeat did not prevent Jordan, who have four points, from qualifying for the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. -Bernama
Draw with South Korea could not erase disappointment of earlier losses – Faisal Halim
DOHA: Harimau Malaya’s sensational winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim described the team’s failure to enter the Asian Cup round of 16 as a disappointment that could not be healed by their scintillating 3-3 draw with South Korea last night.
Mohamad Faisal, better known as Faisal Halim, said although the draw against the two-time champions and much higher-ranked South Koreans was encouraging, the national team still could not accept their defeats in the first two matches.
“We knew we could not make it to the next round. Although happy with tonight’s result, the players still could not accept our two earlier losses.
“We will try to bounce back in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round and at least learn from the results here,” he said when met after the final Group E match against South Korea at Al Janoub Stadium here.
Commenting on the match, Mohamad Faisal, who scored Malaysia’s first goal, said the squad knew it was difficult to steal a point.
However, he said head coach Kim Pan Gon’s approach and the players’ high work rate throughout the match were key to their success in denying South Korea a victory.
“We gave it our all, always chasing after the ball, but it was tough playing against South Korea. We closed a gap here, they opened up one over there. It is impossible to describe our tiredness,” said the 26-year-old Selangor FC player.
Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong drew first blood for South Korea in the 21st minute before Malaysia fought back to lead after 17 minutes in the second half with goals from Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim’s strike and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s penalty.
However, South Korea equalised with just 10 minutes of regulation time left through an own goal by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, before taking the lead at 3-2 through a penalty by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min in added time.
Substitute and naturalised player Romel Morales emerged as the hero for Malaysia when he scored in the 15th minute of added time to earn Malaysia the draw and their only point here.
Malaysia’s hope of creating history by qualifying for the round of 16 was dashed after they lost their first two group matches, 0-4 to Jordan and 0-1 to Bahrain, and finished last with one point. -Bernama
Klinsmann fumes as South Korea settled for 3-3 draw with Malaysia
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DOHA: South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann expressed mixed feelings about the thrilling encounter that saw his side secure a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 despite conceding three goals against a resilient Malaysia in their last Group E match, last night.
The German football legend acknowledged the excitement of the six-goal game but was critical of the Taegeuk Warriors’ defensive performance.
“You saw a very exciting game with six goals (but) I’m very angry at how we conceded the goals. When you controlled a game as much as we did and things like this happened, then you don’t get a two-goal advantage.
“We can do better in the defensive transition, but overall, the group stage is done, and now the tournament really starts,” he told a post-match press conference at the Al Janoub Stadium here.
Looking forward to the knockout stage tie against Saudi Arabia, Klinsmann highlighted the need for improvement in specific areas.
“It wasn’t our plan to concede three goals today just to avoid Japan. We wanted to go through as group winners, and the team tried. Malaysia played with a lot of heart, but we should have won this game,” the 59-year-old, a World Cup winner in 1990 added.
Commenting further, Klinsmann who also helped Germany win the European Championship for the third time in 1996 as a player, said South Korea needed to be ready for any opponents if they wanted to fulfil their ambitions of clinching the title.
In the thrilling match that kept fans on the edge of their seats last night, Malaysia pulled off the remarkable draw when substitute Romel Morales found the net at the end of 15 minutes of added time.
Midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong drew first blood for the two-times champions in the 21st minute before Malaysia fought back to lead after 17 minutes in the second half with goals from Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim’s strike and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s penalty.
However, South Korea equalised with just 10 minutes of regulation time left through an own goal by goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, before taking the lead at 3-2 through a penalty by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min in added time.
South Korea’s last triumph in the Asian Cup dates back 64 years to their victory on home soil and their most recent appearance in the final was during the 2015 edition held in Australia. -Bernama
