KUALA LUMPUR – Tajikistan national coach Petar Segrt has admitted that his instructions to his players during the final of the Merdeka Cup on Tuesday were to score first and silence the Harimau Malaya supporters.
Tajikistan defeated the national team 2-0 to lift the Merdeka Cup trophy at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Its goals were scored by Soirov Rustam in the 43rd minute and Samiev Shahrom in the 87th minute.
The 57-year-old coach said that his players were intimidated by the 36,558 Harimau Malaya fans and that he had planned to silence the home crowd through his team’s dominance.
“The Malaysian fans kept pressuring us throughout the match with their intimidating chants.
“I told my boys before the game that we needed to silence them to secure victory at this stadium.
“But, to be honest, I love the energy that the Malaysian fans bring, and with their sheer numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could defeat higher-ranked teams like Iran and South Korea in this stadium,” said Segrt.
The Croatian, who also has extensive experience coaching in Southeast Asia with Indonesian clubs Bali Devata and PSM Makassar, admired the energy and winning mentality displayed by the Malaysian players during the final.
“I usually don’t like to speak about my opponents’ players, but I have to admit that Malaysia has some really talented players such as Dion Cools and Faisal Halim.
“I admire their fighting spirit and winning mentality. However, they were rushing to score as quickly as they could, while we waited patiently and capitalised on their mistakes at the right moment,” Segrt added.
Tajikistan will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Jordan on November 16.
Tajikistan is grouped with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Pakistan in Group G for the qualifiers. – October 19, 2023