PETALING JAYA (9 January 2024) – Malaysia head coach Kim Pan-gon said that ’anyone can be in the first 11’ after watching his chargers hold Syria to a 2-2 draw in a friendly last night.
In the match that was played at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, the Malaysians took the lead in the 39th minute through Arif Aiman Hanapi.
However, the Syrians fought back with two quick goals off Pablo Sabbag in the 70th minute and Ibrahim Hesar (74th).
But the Malaysians did not give up on Paulo Josue to score the equaliser four minutes later.
“It was a good game against a team ranked 91 in the world. Good performance in the first half and where we made a lot of changes in the second half,” said Pan-gon.
“It was not easy after that because we made changes to give players playing time. It was great to score at the end.
“Players should get more confidence ahead of our first game against Jordan. Anyone can be the first 11. Next few days, we will fully assess this game for the starting 11.”
With the final friendly game in the bag, Malaysia will open their campaign in the AFC Asian Cup 2024 against Jordan at the Al Janoub Stadium on 15 January 2024.
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