Malaysia sweep into Asian Cup takraw semis after crushing South Korea
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia stormed into the Asian Cup sepak takraw semi-finals in style after thrashing South Korea 3-0 in their final Group B match at the Titiwangsa Stadium on Saturday.
The emphatic win confirmed Malaysia's place in the team regu semi-finals as group champions, following earlier victories over Japan and Brunei.
Ahmad Jais Baharun's men are expected to face India, Group A runners-up, in the last four, with a potential grudge final against arch-rivals Thailand on Sunday.
Malaysia are chasing their first regu team title since the 1991 Manila Sea Games.
Malaysia's top regu of Haziq Hairul Nizam, Azlan Alias and Farhan Adam made light work of Korea's Cheon Dong Ryung, Seon Woo Young Su and Oh Dae Yang, winning 15-6, 15-9.
The second regu, featuring Syahir Rosdi, Shahalril Aiman Halim and Amirul Azwan Amir, followed up with a 15-6, 15-11 triumph over Seo Seung Beom, Lee Junuk and Kim Young Cheol.
The clean sweep was completed by the third regu of Zulkifli Razak, Afifuddin Razali and Aidil Aiman Azwawi, who dispatched Nam Sang Hun, Shin Hee Seop and Kim Jung Man 15-8, 15-7.
National head coach Ahmad Jais was pleased with the performance and urged his team to keep the momentum going.
"We saw clear improvement from our players today. We hope to build on that in tomorrow's semi-final," said the former national star.
Malaysia have already enjoyed success at the Asian Cup, winning the quadrant event and edging Thailand in the regu final on Thursday. They also finished runners-up in the doubles, losing to Thailand last week.
Meanwhile, national player Khairul Aman Rosdi has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to health issues.
The 22-year-old suffered complications before the match against Japan on Friday and was rushed to hospital.
He has since undergone minor surgery and has been replaced by Noraizat Nordin.
"I had the chance to speak to Khairul Aman after his surgery. He's still in hospital and will not feature in the remaining matches," said Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia president Datuk Sumali Reduan in a social media post.
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