Malaysia could only draw with Bangladesh in a friendly at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.
PETALING JAYA: The clock is ticking and it doesn’t look good for Malaysia ahead of the 2018 World Cup second round Asian Zone Group A match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Coach Dollah Salleh’s team failed to win for their fifth straight time after they were held to a dour 0-0 draw by Bangladesh at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.
The Harimau Malaya had started their campaign in the World Cup qualifiers at home in June on a disastrous note, being held 1-1 by minnows Timor Leste and then humiliated 6-0 by war-torn Palestine.
But Dollah is not downcast. He believes that his 168th world ranked team can still give the 70th-ranked UAE a fight if they keep their tactical discipline.
“The result of the match is disappointing but the players managed to execute my game plan better in the second half. We created a lot of chances but failed to make it count. Our misfiring strike force let us down again,” said Dollah.
“If we can repeat the second-half display, I think we can give UAE a fight. But the players need to keep their discipline, if not we would not be able to execute our game plan.”
Commenting on the drab draw with 170th ranked Bangladesh, Dollah said that his players had problem adapting to his 5-4-1 formation and only found their feet after the breather.
The decision to substitute veteran Mohd Amri Yahyah and midfielder Safiq Rahim in the second half with Nasir Basharuddin and Baddrol Bakthiar saw the team improve but it was not enough as the match ended in a stalemate.
“Amri and Safiq were tired, so I had to make the two substitutions. Baddrol and Nasir had only trained with the team for four days, but they understood and managed to carry out my game plan. When they came on, the team’s play was much more organised,” said the 51-year-old coach.
“The defence did well what I wanted. We looked solid with Afif (Amiruddin), Amirizdwan Taj (Tajuddin) and Junior (Eldstal) but they failed to support the attack. I want them to do more than just defending,” added Dollah.
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