Respect for opponents? Malaysia give Japan 16 reasons to smile

New Straits Times

a day ago

KUALA LUMPUR: When Cameron Ng was handed the reins of the national Under-20 side, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) billed it as a daring step towards transforming the women's game.
On Friday, Japan turned that bold step into a full-blown stumble — a 16-0 humiliation in the Asian U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers that left even the coach admitting: "Today was girls versus women."
Speaking after the rout at KLFA Stadium, Cheras, Cameron conceded his side "had a game plan, but couldn't execute it" — perhaps the understatement of the year.
"Maybe we gave them too much respect at the start," he added, before acknowledging the obvious: "Japan are just a much stronger team."
It was, he said, a painful wake-up call — one that brutally underlined Malaysia's failure to develop players early enough to compete on the same pitch, let alone the same level.
"We can't just wait for players to be in their 20s and expect them to perform," Cameron admitted.
The "tactics" — if they can be called that — didn't last long either.
Cameron ditched his initial plan mid-match, throwing five defenders into the back line in the football equivalent of damage control.
"The first goal came too early and made my players nervous — maybe even panic," he said.
By half-time, they were already 7-0 down.
Even with a squad boosted by overseas-based players, the Young Tigresses looked exactly what critics have long accused them of being disjointed, reactive and out of ideas.
Other Southeast Asian nations have left Malaysia behind.
Vietnam's youth system is churning out World Cup-level players.
Thailand consistently reach the business end of regional tournaments. Even the Philippines — once lagging well behind — have leapfrogged Malaysia thanks to an aggressive heritage-player policy.
By comparison, Malaysia's U-20 programme is still struggling to assemble a side capable of surviving, let alone competing, against Asia's elite.
Japan's coach Akira Ijiri, whose team has racked up 21 unanswered goals in two matches, was diplomatic.
"They never gave up until the end. We cannot play football without opponents. Thank you to the Malaysian team," she said.
Malaysia have now lost both matches in the qualifiers, having fallen 3-0 to Iran earlier in the week.
They wrap up their campaign against Guam on Sunday — and after this, even a draw would feel like a victory.