Asian Cup: Syahir warns teammates to fix flaws before Thailand rematch
Syahir, alongside Azlan Alias and Farhan Adam, stunned defending champions Thailand — represented by Sittipong Khamchan, Varayut Jantarasena and Yotsawat Uthaijaronsri — with a 15-12, 15-9 win in Thursday's final at the Titiwangsa Stadium.
It was Malaysia's second title of the tournament after winning the quadrant event, having also finished runners-up in the doubles after losing to Thailand last week.
Riding high from that victory, Malaysia opened their team event Group B campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Brunei on Friday.
They will next face South Korea and Japan, with a place in Sunday's final in sight — likely a rematch against Thailand, who will likely top Group A.
Despite the landmark regu win, Syahir was quick to highlight areas needing improvement.
"Thursday's win was unexpected and fuelled by the incredible support from the fans. Honestly, I didn't think we'd win 2-0. But seeing Azlan and Farhan fired up inspired me too," said Syahir.
"Still, our performance wasn't perfect, especially our service and first-ball returns. Some of my serves didn't connect cleanly, so we'll need to fix that before the team matches."
In the team opener, Noraizat Nordin, Haziq Hairul Nizam and Farhan swept past Brunei's first regu 15-5, 15-10.
The momentum continued with Aidil Aiman Azwawi, Zulkifli Abd Razak and Khairul Aman Rosdi, who won 15-7, 15-8.
The third regu of Afifuddin Razali, Zarif Merican and Amirul Zazwan wrapped up the rout with a dominant 15-5, 15-3 victory.
National coach Ahmad Jais Baharun was satisfied with the start but wants more.
"It was a good result for the first tie, but our performance isn't at its peak yet — likely due to player combinations and limited preparation time," he said.
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