SEA GAMES 2011: TIRED TIGERS HAVE LITTLE TIME TO RECHARGE

JAKARTA (20 Nov 2011) – Malaysia showed clear signs of fatigue against Myanmar in the semifinals yesterday and must have been relieved when Ahmad Fakri Saarani scored the winner before the 90-minutes were up. This could indeed go a long way in the team’s recovery process.

Had they played an additional 30 minutes, the Malaysians could have come off being severely exhausted and that would affect the time they need to recover before the final which is some 30 hours away.

Myanmar coach, Stefan Hannson had said last night that his team would have destroyed Malaysia if the game was extended by 30-minutes. “They were tired after playing Indonesia, we had a four day break coming into the semis,” Hansson said.

Against Myanmar, many Malaysia players were pulling up with cramps and it was obvious they were drained, especially after a difficult game against Indonesia on Thursday night. The Malaysians had a day’s rest before facing a fit Myanmar side.

“We didn’t play well in the first half, it was the price we had to play after beating Indonesia 1-0. The players were tired but in the second half they showed good character to go after the winner,” Kim Swee said.

The Young Tigers have to make the best of the one-day break they have to try and recharge their batteries in time for the crunch final tomorrow night. The final kicks-off at 7.30pm (Jakarta time).

Tomorrow’s final will surely be a difficult game and Malaysia will have to be at their very best to pull off a memorable win in Senayan to retain their title.

SEA GAMES 2011 SEMI-FINALS FIXTURES