GOOD WIN OVER KOREANS, BUT WE SHOULD NOT GET CARRIED AWAY: RAJAGOBAL

The Selangor playmaker brought cheer to the 3,000 odd fans when he beat towering goalkeeper Lee Bum-soo from 25 metres out with a lethal shot in the 51st minute.

The Korean defence was caught by surprise when Safiq picked up a rebound from his own free kick before he breezed past two defenders and unleashed a low shot beyond the reach of Bum-soo.

It was an encouraging performance by K. Rajagopal’s boys, who are preparing for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November.

Malaysia put up a spirited display and Rajagopal hoped that the team would continue to show the same kind of commitment and consistency in international matches.

“It is a good win for us and I am proud of the players. But I am not going to get carried away with it. We are still in a team rebuilding process,” he said.

Rajagopal added that they needed more high-profile matches to help build a stronger side.

“We don’t want a national team who win one day and lose the next day. It is this kind of competitive matches played on a more regular basis that will toughen up the players,” he said.

Korean coach Hong Myung-bo said that both teams played well and he felt that his boys lacked experienced and needed more exposure before they mature for international play.

“Most of them are newcomers and we have a long way to go. Maybe, there are a couple of players from here who will make the squad for the Asian Games,” said Myung-bo, who is also in charge for the squad for the Asiad.

Malaysia, who had most of the players from the gold medal-winning squad at the Laos SEA Games last December, did remarkably well to contain the physically stronger Koreans to a goalless first half.

Luck was not on the Koreans side when they had two shots at goal denied by the woodwork. Striker Park Hee-seong’s glancing header and Park Hyung-jin’s curling free kick come off the crossbar in the 11th minute and 41st minute respectively.

The Malaysians had only one good look at goal with Norsharul Idlan Talaha missing a sitter with only Bum-soo to beat in the fifth minute.

After Safiq gave Malaysia the lead six minutes into the second half, the Koreans fought hard in search of the equaliser but they were unable to find any breakthrough past goalkeeper Mohd Sharbinee Allawee and the Malaysian defence marshalled by skipper Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak and Mohd Nasriq Baharom.