Cklamovski fires up team to work harder after beating Vietnam for first time in 11 years

The Star

11-06-2025

Going all out: Malaysia's Rodrigo Holgado heading the ball during their match against Vietnam at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Results don't come without action, and national football team head coach Peter Cklamovski knows work is never done if they are to keep Malaysia's Asian Cup dreams alive.
Harimau Malaya delivered a powerful performance against Vietnam on home turf in their 2027 Asian Cup third round qualifiers, thrashing their opponents 4-0 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
Cklamovski hailed his players' performance in front of 61,512 fans, as Malaysia got past their first tough fixture in the group against Vietnam to keep their Asian Cup dreams burning strong.
'Dream for it, because we've got that dream, without a doubt. We see the commitment the players have for that dream.
'We don't just think about it, but we have to do it by action, every day. And the performance the players put in is a reflection of what I see every day.
'I see a committed group of players hungry to build a team mentality that will make Malaysians proud. I'm very proud of the players,' he said.
Cklamovski was quick to field fresh legs in the squad, giving playing minutes to newly arrived heritage players Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, and Imanol Machuca. And they were quick to deliver.
Figueiredo was first to break the deadlock in the 49th minute, followed by Holgado in the 58th. Seasoned heritage players La'vere Corbin-Ong and Dion Cools sealed the win in the 66th and 88th minutes, respectively.
Malaysia also ended their 11-year winless streak against Vietnam as their last victory over the Golden Star Warriors was at the 2014 AFF Cup, when Harimau Malaya won 5-4 in the semi-final.
Cklamovski was thrilled with his team, as they now sit top of Group F, three points clear of Vietnam in second, while Laos are in third with one win and Nepal remain without a point.
'I thought the first half was good, we probably could have gotten in front but it was important that we stayed focused in the second half.
'We stayed disciplined and worked hard as a team. That's important because we don't just rely on one player but 11, regardless of who is out there,' he said.
Although the dream to qualify for Saudi Arabia stays alive, Cklamovski reminded the team that the win against Vietnam is just a small step in their long journey.
'We can dream, but we have to recover, analyse the game, and then get on to the next one.
'We just got three points from the game, that's all. We've got more work to do and more steps to take,' he said.
Harimau Malaya will play their next qualifier match against Laos on Oct 9.