MANILA (23 March 2017) – It was the fifth stalemate in a row when Malaysia held the Philippines to a scoreless draw in a friendly that was played last night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
With the battle being fought mainly at the centre of the park, the home team just could not find a way through the stubborn Malaysian defence.
The closest the game came to a goal was off Malaysia’s Ahmad Hazwan Bakiri but whose effort sorely missed the target.
“Overall, I’m not happy that we tied but the most important game is Nepal next week. I’m happy with the performance of the players. I’m happy with how we performed,” said Philippines head coach Thomas Dooley afterwards.
Replied Malaysia’s Datuk Ong Kim Swee: “our defense went very well. We were very organized. We were able to counter whatever strength the Philippines had.”
