National U23 Team Out Of 2025 AFF U23 Cup After Goaless Draw With Indonesia
Despite tonight's result, coach Nafuzi Zain expressed pride towards his charges, especially the defence, singling out goalkeeper Zulhilmi Sharani for his excellent performance in fending off Indonesia's constant attacks and keeping a clean sheet.
'Congratulations to all players who displayed a high degree of fighting spirit. Taking on Indonesia in front of thousands of their fans isn't easy, but the players managed to rein in their emotions and play with confidence, without hesitation,' he said after the match.
bootstrap slideshow
He stressed that the young squad had improved from match to match, especially since many of them were playing for the first time at the international level.
'We changed our approach in the first half to defend and wait to counterattack, before piling on the pressure in the second half in hopes for a goal.
'I'm a bit disappointed to not be going to the semifinal, but overall, I'm proud of the increased performance by the team,' he said, adding that the squad would fully focus on the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers after this.
The experience would also be valuable, he pointed out, and promised to raise the team's maturity and physical aspects.
The match was a fiercely contested affair, with seven yellow cards shown by Japanese referee Takasaki Koji, three to Malaysia and four to Indonesia.
The draw means that Indonesia tops Group A with seven points, followed by the Philippines (six points), Malaysia (four points) and Brunei last without a single point.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Barnama
Aaron-Wooi Yik Through To 2025 China Open Final
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) -- National men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are through to the finals of the 2025 China Open after beating Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in their semifinal match at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou today. The Malaysians hardly broke a sweat as they swept the Indians aside 21-13, 21-17 in only 42 minutes, raking up their 11th win out of 14 meetings. Aaron-Wooi Yik will go up against Indonesians Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who sprung a surprise on Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang by winning 21-19, 21-17 in their semifinal match.
Barnama
4 hours ago
- Barnama
‘Coach Choi' Returns As Perak FA Head Coach For A1 League, 2026 SUKMA
IPOH, July 26 (Bernama) - The Perak Football Association (PAFA) has appointed Syamsul Saad as the new head coach of Perak FA for the upcoming 2025/2026 A1 Semi-Pro League season and the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor. PAFA president Datuk Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin said the decision was based on Syamsul's extensive experience in football development at the state level, as well as his background as both a player and a coach. 'Syamsul is no stranger to Perak football. He has represented the state and previously contributed his expertise as a coach.
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Norris takes Spa pole on all-McLaren front row
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: McLaren's Lando Norris edged out championship-leading teammate and Formula One title rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position for what could be a wet and chaotic Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Briton blasted around the long Spa-Francorchamps circuit in a best time of one minute 40.562 seconds on Saturday, with Piastri 0.085 slower, to secure his fourth pole in 13 races and 13th of his career. Norris will be chasing his third win in a row to cut the Australian's nine-point lead. "The car has been flying all weekend, Oscar's been doing a good job all weekend so we're pushing each other a lot," said Norris, who was third in the earlier sprint race with Piastri second. "It's tough because you kind of see where your strengths and weaknesses are. And you learn from each other quickly. It's a good but tough battle that we have at the minute." Norris said he was expecting rain and drizzle on Sunday and possibly a chaotic race. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start third and Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen, winner of the sprint, qualified fourth with a tweaked set-up for the expected Sunday conditions. The grand prix will be a first for Laurent Mekies as Red Bull principal after long-time incumbent Christian Horner was sacked two weeks ago. FINE MARGINS Norris had been fastest in the opening phase of qualifying, with Piastri a close second, and the positions were reversed in the second section before the final top-10 shootout left the Briton on top. His first lap of the decisive phase proved good enough, Norris unable to go any faster on his second run when Piastri threatened but made an error at Stavelot. That turned the tables after the Australian's dominant pole for the sprint by nearly half a second. "I felt like the car was very good again, but it's fine margins out there. It's obviously not a bad place to be starting but there was more in it, which is always disappointing," said the Australian. "After the sprint, I was aiming for P2," he added, referring to Verstappen winning from that position thanks to the slipstream he picked up from the car ahead. Verstappen had looked like qualifying third until Leclerc pushed him down in the dying seconds. Behind the top four, Alex Albon qualified fifth for Williams with George Russell sixth for Mercedes and ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, whose performance was the Japanese driver's best so far with Red Bull. Racing Bulls had Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson eighth and ninth with Sauber's Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, last year's winner with Mercedes, failed to get through the first phase after his best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. The seven-times world champion, who has yet to stand on the podium since his move to Ferrari at the end of last season, will start 16th and said it was "not acceptable." Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli also struggled and will start in 18th place. Aston Martin had Fernando Alonso qualify 19th and teammate Lance Stroll 20th.
