KUALA LUMPUR — Harimau Malaya head coach Pau Marti Vincente is still confident of shaping a formidable team for the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in March next year, despite drawing 1-1 with India last night at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
Marti said that there were a lot of positives that could be taken from the friendly match, although he admitted that he was disappointed with the missed opportunities.
“Playing away from home against a good team like India, I think this is a good result. Of course, we always want to win, but I think this is still a positive outcome.
“When the qualifiers come, we need to compete at this level. Maybe on another day, with a bit more luck and precision, we could win.
“I think the game was quite tight. We struggled in the first half to find our way of playing, but in the second half, we managed to improve a bit.
“Overall, I think the result is quite fair. We missed a few chances, which is disappointing, but we are happy with our performance as a whole,” said Marti during the post-match interview.
India could potentially be grouped with Malaysia in the qualifiers, as the Blue Tigers are placed in Pot 1 alongside Syria, Tajikistan, Lebanon, and Asean rivals Thailand and Vietnam.
Malaysia, meanwhile, is expected to remain in Pot 2 for the draw scheduled on December 9 at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
As part of preparations for the qualifiers, Pau Marti plans to utilise the upcoming Asean Championship (formerly known as the AFF Cup), which begins on November 23.
“Luckily for us, we also have the AFF tournament coming up in Malaysia in two weeks. That will help us prepare for March,” he added.
Malaysia has been drawn into Group A of the Asean Championship, where they will face Singapore, Cambodia, Timor Leste, and Thailand. – November 19, 2024