Latest news with #RedStarWarriors
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Zainal: A good lesson for locals to match the level of talent
KUALA LUMPUR: Football legend Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan said the presence of seven newly naturalised national players has set the benchmark for local players hoping to wear the Malaysia shirt. Zainal's comments come after Malaysia's emphatic 4-0 win over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier in Bukit Jalil last Tuesday, their first victory over the Southeast Asian powerhouse in 11 years. Heritage players Rodrigo Holgado, Joao Figueiredo, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal and Gabriel Palmero all played crucial roles in helping Malaysia overpower the Red Star Warriors. Figueiredo, Holgado, Dion Cools and La'Vere Corbin-Ong were all on target for Malaysia. Zainal said he was impressed by the team's midfield dominance, a long-standing weakness for world No. 131 Malaysia. Zainal said local players should start working towards matching the standard set by their "heritage" teammates if they hope to break into the starting 11. "After more than a decade, we finally defeated Vietnam. "And this time, we did it in style. "With the heritage players mixing well with the locals, this is a very high benchmark set by the national team. "This is where the other players must strive to reach a good level. It's a perfect start, and I hope it continues. "Hopefully, we will soon be known once again as giants in Asia." How can local players catch up? Zainal believes the answer lies in gaining experience and learning from playing in the same league as these naturalised stars. "It's an education, a field of learning that's valuable for our players. "We don't know how long this opportunity will last or how many more heritage players are out there waiting to be discovered. "But what we have now is a good example, a valuable lesson for those already playing in our league to raise their game. "They have a chance to challenge for every position in the national team, but this is the benchmark, this is the target. "They have to get there. And by doing so, our football will improve because our players will start fighting harder for a place in the team." On the critics questioning Malaysia's inclusion of naturalised players, Zainal said the other countries are also doing the same thing. "Take Japan, for example. They used to have heritage players. Once their football evolved to a certain level, their local players improved, and now look at where Japan are now, ranked No. 15 in the world. "This is a good sign for those playing now, especially our local players. "They can finally see the standard required to represent Malaysia. And they now know, this is what it takes."
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Argentina-born Holgado sheds blood for Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: New heritage player Rodrigo Holgado literally shed blood for Malaysia in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam yesterday. The Argentina-born striker suffered a bloody cut on the back of his head in Malaysia's spectacular 4-0 triumph over the Red Star Warriors at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. After a clash with a Vietnam player, Holgado had blood stains on his jersey. Holgado also had a memorable debut for Malaysia, scoring a goal against a team deemed as the strongest in Southeast Asia. Blood and a goal, that was Holgado's answer to those critics who have questioned the commitment and quality of heritage players. Holgado said he was pleased with his performance for Malaysia. After having played his part in putting Harimau Malaya on top of Group F (with six points from two matches) and in a strong position to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup, he has to quickly return to his Colombian club, America de Cali.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Heritage-powered Harimau rip apart Vietnam
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia showed they meant business in their Asian Cup campaign by thrashing Vietnam 4-0 in a Group F qualifer at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday No one was expecting this kind of score, not when Malaysia had not beaten Vietnam in the last 11 years. But world No 109 Vietnam, the so-called powerhouses of Southeast Asia, were ripped apart by world No 132 Malaysia. The Red Star Warriors were sunk by goals from Joao Figueiredo (49th minute), Rodrigo Holgado (59th), La'vere Corbin Ong (67th) and Dion Cools (88th) Malaysia, who beat Nepal 2-0 in their opening match, now top Group F with two wins. The new-look Harimau Malaya, coached by Peter Cklamovski, saw new heritage players - Figueiredo, Holgado, Jon Irazabal and Facundo Garces earning their first cap for Malaysia, while Imanol Machuca was on the bench. Malaysia listed nine heritage players for the match, including Dion Cools, Corbin Ong, Matthew Davies, Hector Hevel and Nooa Laine. The two 'local boys' in the squad were Arif Aiman Hanapi and goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi. Cklamovski's men started the match brightly but Vietnam managed to play a composed game to frustrate the hosts in front of 61,512 supporters. The tide changed for Malaysia in the 38th minute after Vietnam lost their influential defender Nguyen Thanh Chung due to an injury and they started to lose their composure. The floodgates finally broke in the second half as nervy Vietnam could not stem Malaysia's pressure. The Brazil-born Figuerido broke the deadlock from a deflected effort in the 59th minute and it brought confidence to the Malaysia team. Nippy midfielder Arif Aiman provided the assist for Malaysia's second goal for Holgado in the 59th minute and for the third goal by Corbin in the 67th minute.
