Harsh...

...Truth!

It is the end of the road for Malaysia in their journey to the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil. The 1-1 scoreline at the end of the second round, second leg match at Bukit Jalil meant we were eliminated by Singapore on a 6-4 aggregate score after losing the first match 5-3 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

In a way, I would say the elimination is a blessing in disguise for Malaysian football as it will force those who are responsible to take stock of the qualifying campaign and iron out the deficiencies in the Malayan Tigers in order to maintain the recent standard that Malaysian football fans have been accustomed to.

The team did not reach the level they were at during the successful 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign.

Photo by: Shazli Shamsuddin

Poor defending have been the bane of the campaign, as seen from the first round matches against Chinese Taipei. It continued in the first leg match against Singapore though the fighting spirit to reduce the score to 4-3 after trailing 4-1 at the interval gave Malaysians hope they could finish the job in Bukit Jalil despite conceding a late goal as they lost 5-3.

From mad redo1's perspective, Rajagobal's men do not know how to defend as a team and prone to lose concentration too many times during a match. Almost all goals conceded were results from this weakness.

Our midfielders do not track opposing players properly which meant a simple one-two could easily open up our defence. All these were evident during the match against The Lions, who despite many of their players could qualify for the next Academy Awards, were much better tactically and technically than The Tigers.

Of course, there is no point talking about their naturalised players as we must realise, in order to become a footballing power, we must be able to match any kind of players our opponents field against us.

For now, we simply are not ready for that. Rather than seeing the team becoming a punchbag for the football powerhouses in Asia, I would rather see we prepare ourselves for the next assignment, which is the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, where we are the defending champions and co-host with Thailand.

As for the Lions, they could surprise a few people with the presence of their naturalised players but to see them in action in Brazil in 2014 would be asking too much of them. They have better chance of grabbing an Oscar at the Academy Awards!


...

Goals Galore...

...at the Tiny Stadium.

mad redo1 was no where in front of the TV to catch the first leg of the second round match between Singapore and Malaysia at the tiny Jalan Besar Stadium for a berth in the third round of the Asian section of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

The reason being he was away at a wedding reception, celebrating the marriage of his niece, Maizura 'Juya' Ismail to a Dane, Matthias Varming at the Felda Villa Restaurant. But the news that came through was shocking to say the least as the home side ran riot and went down the tunnel at the interval leading the beleaguered Malaysians by 4-1.

Wearing the Malaysia yellow jersey under his green casual shirt specially bought for the occassion, mad redo1 joked with other guests about the score would be 4-3 when the referee blew his final whistle.

He was amazed when the news came and the score did become 4-3. Unfortunately it was not the final one as the home side managed to add another ten minutes before time to bring a two goal advantage when the two sides meet again for the second leg at Bukit Jalil.

Would the Malayan Tigers be able to find the two goals needed to ensure a passage to the third round, the answer would be on Thursday.

Come on Tigers!


...

Tough Companies...

...for Young Tigers.

Malaysia has been drawn into Group C of the 2012 London Olympics Asian Final Qualifying Round together with favourite Japan and two West Asian nations, Bahrain and Syria. It will be a stern test for Ong Kim Swee's boys who were placed in the fourth pot during the draw.


The Young Tigers will open their campaign away to Japan on 21-09 before playing their next two matches at home against the West Asians in November. Syria will be the first to come for their fixture on 23-11 and four days later Malaysia have Bahrain as their guest on 27-11.

Their next two matches will take place in February next year with Malaysia going to Bahrain on 05-02 before entertaining the Japanese on 22-02. The final group match will take place on 14-03 with the Malaysians having to travel to Syria.

Of course being in the final rounds is already a good achievement for Malaysia, which has consistently failed to progress past the first round of any continental competitions for a number of years now.

But in the current feel good situation in Malaysia in regards of their national football team, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Young Tigers have the capability to spring a few upsets against the more fancied teams in their group.

Kim Swee's plans for these matches are to minimise errors that his players could make as they could prove fatal against the stronger teams in their group. Furthermore they would stand an outside chance of qualifying if the Malaysians could take full advantage of their home matches.

The Draw:
GROUP A - Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman
GROUP B - Australia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, UAE
GROUP C - Japan, Bahrain, Syria, Malaysia


...

Away Goals...

...Rule for the Tigers.

It was an awkward time for us in Malaysia to watch the second leg of the 2014 World Cup Qualifying first round match against Chinese Taipei. The kick-off was merely twenty minutes before the obligatory Maghrib prayers.

mad redo1 decided to have his dinner first with the family at Batu Buruk and watch the second half at the pre-arranged spot of The 2 Cafe at Jalan Pejabat. But the good guys at Yee Stall switched the channel to TV2 which carried the match 'live'. With his brother in law, Epie joining him, they decided to stay for the fist half.

Malaysia were already defending a free-kick at that moment but it did not bring any fruition to the home side. Then up to the other side, Dato' Rajagobal's men won themselves a free-kick of their own, but it was more than 30 metres away. In my so called 'expert' opinion it would take something special for any player to score from that distance.

The next minute this 'expert' was jumping with joy as Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak's nestled at the back of the Taiwan's net. It was quite surreal watching the flight of the ball which hit the top corner of the goal before going in.

It was a goal that should have killed the match as Malaysia had their own away goal, meaning Taiwan had to score twice to tie the match, and three goals to ensure their passage into the next round.

Nearing the half hour mark, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha should have sealed the Tigers' berth in the second round. Unfortunately, the Kelantan top-scorer who was unmarked as Amirulhadi Zainal delivered his cutback skied his shot when it seemed easier to score for the player of his reputation.

If his effort had gone into the net, the morale of the Taiwanese players would have gone down. Instead, they pushed Malaysia back and won a corner from their next attack. From this set-piece Malaysia defensive frailties began to show when slack marking allowed two Chinese Taipei players to have shots at their goal, the first one was blocked but the rebound was turned past Sharbinee Allawee by Chang Han, who also scored in the first leg in Kuala Lumpur.

Defender Asrarudin Putra who was nearest to the goalscorer should have held his hand up taking the blame for letting the player he was supposed to be marking the time and space to put the ball into the net.

The home side, buoyed by the support from the compatriots who were allowed into the venue without any charge began looking for the second goal which would tie the aggregate score.

Then five minutes from the interval, Vietnamese referee Vo Minh Tri awarded a free-kick to Malaysia after a foul just outside the penalty area. This time the distance was much shorter and the probability of getting another goal was higher.

Skipper Safiq Rahim stepped up and once again sent Malaysians into delirium as his effort went over the wall and went in off the far post, leaving Chinese Taipei goalkeeper, Lin Po-Cheng totally helpless.

But the lead did not last long. Chinese Taipei took advantage from Malaysia failure to maintain possession. When they regained the ball inside the Malaysian half did not seem to be a threat. But a few short passes later saw a run into the box by a Taiwan player was halted by Mahali Jasuli's trailing leg and referee Minh Tri blew for a penalty.

Sharbinee guessed right and managed to get his hands to the ball, unfortunately it was not enough to prevent Chen Po-Liang effort from going into the net. The post became the brunt of the goalkeeper's anger as Taiwanese celebrated.

With the score level at 2-2 as the half time whistle was blown mad redo1 left for the Al-Muktafibillah Shah Mosque for Maghrib prayers. After discharging his duties he and Epie headed for The 2 Cafe where another friend, Alep was waiting.

The play was quite even between the two teams. However going into the hour mark Malaysia failure to defend as a team led to their line being breached again. Po-Liang was able to find space past the static Malaysian defence and in his desperation defender, Fadhli Shas tugged at the striker's shirt.

Minh Tri once again pointed to the spot and it was part two of Po-Liang versus Sharbinee from twelve yards. This time the Terengganu goalkeeper managed to put a good solid stop to the ball and gathered it in his second attempt.

It should have disheartened The Taiwanese. Instead they continued to press and with fifteen minutes to go, Po-Liang darted into the box once again past the Malaysian defenders, who again looked static. Sharbinee came out and dived at the striker's feet. No contact was seen but the Taiwanese did a Rooney and kicked at the goalkeeper's hand, making it looked like a foul.

Minh Tri was duped as was Mike Dean at Old Trafford on that particular August day in 2009. This time it was Chen Tsan-Yuan who stepped up and took the responsibility of beating Sharbinee from the spot. The goalkeeper guessed correctly but the height and pace of the forward's effort did not give him any chance at all.

The home side was on the ascending, knowing that another goal would see them through. As for mad redo1 the last quarter of an hour of the match was the longest yet in football for him this season, even felt longer than the period he waited for the final whistle at Bukit Jalil in the FA Cup final.

Fortunately, the Malayan Tigers held on until Minh Tru blew the final whistle and booked their place in the second round on away goals rule.

There they are going to play their arch-rival Singapore in the Peninsular 'derby' over two legs. The first leg is scheduled to take place on 21 July at the compact Jalan Besar Stadium while the return match a week later on 28 July at Bukit Jalil.

To the Tigers, Congratulations!

Other results:
Pakistan vs Bangladesh 0-0 (Bangladesh won 3-0 on aggregate)
Laos vs Cambodia 6-2 (Laos won 8-6 on aggregate, after extra time)
Phillippines vs Sri Lanka 4-0 (Phillippines won 5-1 on aggregate)
Palestine vs Afghanistan 1-1 (Palestine won 3-1 on aggregate)
Macau vs Vietnam 1-7 (Vietnam won 13-1 on aggregate)
Timor Leste vs Nepal 0-5 (Nepal won 7-1 on aggregate)
Myanmar vs Mongolia 2-0 (Myanmar won 2-1 on aggregate)


...

Battle Won...

...but the War is Not Over, Yet.

Failure to keep a clean sheet against Chinese Taipei last night could cost Malaysia dear in their quest to progress further in the 2014 World Cup Qualifying Tournament. The Malayan Tigers did win the match by the odd goal in three but the Taiwanese know they only have to win 1-0 on Sunday in their own backyard to eliminate the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup champions in the first hurdle.

Malaysia failed to capitalise their home ground advantage. Roared on by the partisan crowd Rajagobal's boys had to wait until nearly half an hour into the match before breaking the deadlock.

Substitute Abdul Hadi Yahya, who just came in place of out of sort fullback, Helmi Remeli, broke on the right. He passed the ball to Kunanlan who in turn set the ball up for his skipper Safiq Rahim. The midfielder took his shot early and watched as his effort flew across Chinese Taipei goalkeeper, Lin Po-Cheng and went in after hitting the far post.

Several more chances were created before the break but the Malaysian players wasted them through poor finishing and resolute defending by the visitors. However the home side capitalised on a poor defending by Chinese Taipei nine minutes into the second half to go two goals clear.

Photo by: Azhari Yusop | Dunia Sukan Online

A good delivery by Safiq was met by central defender, Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak who was left unmarked as he made his run to attack the ball. It was powerful enough to see it bulged the Taiwanese goal net and sending fans in the stands into a state of delirium.

There were a few more opportunities came their way to make the tie completely safe but the Malaysian players just could not make the most of them.

Then thirteen minutes from time, the entire Malaysian defence just went asleep. From a throw in the Taiwanese player broke on the left and delivered a cut back which was met with a fine finish by Chen Po-Liang. None of the Malaysian defender pick up his run into the box which left goalkeeper, Sharbinee Allawee totally exposed.

Despite their efforts later on, the Tigers could not find their way past Po-Cheng again and now must brace themselves for a difficult second leg encounter at the Taipei Municipal Stadium on Sunday.


...

Roar...

...of the Young Tigers!

Malaysia confirmed their place in the final of Asia Olympics Qualifying Round with eleven other nations after a battling display against Lebanon at the Stadium Nasional tonight. After a goal-less first leg at the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, the Malaysian players knew they have to win in order to progress in the competition.

The more favoured Lebanese could be feeling confident of pulling the result they needed to advance but that confidence must have plummeted after nine minutes when Malaysia went ahead through a sweet strike by Mohamad Irfan Fazail after the visitors failed to clear their line.

His finish from just outside the box was akin to the ones that we Malaysians used to see during English Premier League matches, highlighting the fact we have good technical players in our league. What they need is to keep producing the kind of good technique on a consistent basis.

Back to the match, the Lebanese players seemed to be shell-shocked and Ong Kim Swee's boys took the opportunity to press for the security of a second goal. However they have to survive a scare when Khairul Fahmi Che Mat's crossbar was rattled by a strike by Abdallah Taleb.

The second goal did arrive and the way it arrived certainly should make more Malaysians believe in this Malaysian team. A string of passes were exchanged before Gary Steven threaded the ball into the box, having spotted Wan Zack Haikal making a run from the flank.

(Image was taken from Dunia Sukan.com)

The midfielder shrugged off the attention from a Lebanon player and managed to squeeze the ball past goalkeeper, Mohamad Dakramanji. The National Stadium erupted with joy as Malaysians celebrated the goal that could bring them to the stage they have not visited for a long, long time.

It certainly proved crucial. Steven, who received a yellow card in the first minute of the match, saw the same card again flashed to him by Japanese referee, Toma Maasaki six minutes into the second half, resulting in an early bath and giving Lebanon a man advantage.

The dismissal gave them the impetus to push forward in search of goals and with the Malaysian defence kept hacking the ball away at every opportunity, meant the Lebanese would keep coming back.

Finally the constant pressure paid off in the 61st minute when a deep cross from the right was headed towards goal by Mahmoud Kojok. The loose ball then was headed in by an alert Chadie Atie despite the desperate attempts by the Malaysian players to keep it out.

The goal meant Malaysia's hope of advancing depended on whether they would concede again in the last half an hour of the match as a draw tonight meant the Arabs would go through on away goals rule.

Perhaps the best way of not letting your opponents score is to deprive them of the ball in the first place. However, as the Malaysian players continued to punt the ball into Lebanon's half almost continuously saw they have to constantly deal with attacks by the visitors.

Credit to them, they managed to hustle the Lebanon players and prevented them from making much use of the ball, restricting them to making long distance attempts which were dealt easily by Khairul Fahmi.

Only towards the end did the Malaysian players beginning to hold on to the ball and keeping it in the Lebanon half of the pitch. The three minutes stoppage time seemed like an eternity but when Maasaki San blew his whistle one final time tonight it resulted in joyous celebrations not just at Bukit Jalil but throughout Malaysia.

Congratulations Young Tigers!


Other results:
India vs Qatar: 1-1 (Qatar won 4-2 on aggregate)
Iran vs Iraq: 0-2 (Iraq won 2-1 on aggregate)
Palestine vs Bahrain: 1-2 (2-2 on aggregate, Bahrain won on away goals rule)
Yemen vs Australia: 0-4 (Australia won 7-0 on aggregate)
Kuwait vs Japan: 2-1 (Japan won 4-3 on aggregate)
Turkmenistan vs Syria: 0-4 (Syria won 6-2 on aggregate)
UAE vs DPR Korea: 1-1 (UAE won 2-1 on aggregate)
Jordan vs Korea Republic: 1-1 (Korea won 4-2 on aggregate)
Hong Kong vs Uzbekistan: 0-2 (Uzbekistan won 3-0 on aggregate)
Vietnam vs Saudi Arabia: 1-4 (Saudi Arabia won 6-1 on aggregate)
Oman vs China: 3-1 (Oman won 4-1 on aggregate)


...

Splashing Success...

...at the Marina

The 2011 edition of Terengganu World Invitational Jet Race Challenge came to its end on Sunday with the conclusion of the Endurance category.

In the Pro Am Runabout Open Pancho Manjak of Team Yamaha Finland emerged as champion while Teera Settura of Settura Racing came in second. Dubai based Mendhy Menad of Team Yamaha Fox Riva finished in third place.

In the Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open, Thai racers took the top two places. Teera and Supak Settura of Settura Racing Team made it a Settura one-two finish while Mohamad Nayan Bakar of Fishbone Racing Team took third place.

While in the Women Runabout Open, favourite Nur Shahida Mohamad Noor of CTM Racing as expected romped to victory with Kundang rider, Aina Syazwani Mohamed Saffian and Club Terengganu Marina, Melissa Karina Yahya took second and third place respectively.

Experienced rider Ahmad Dawi Alias easily took the Veterans Runabout Open title. Ahmad Dawi who was representing CTM Racing saw off the challenge from Meganrata Racing rider, Chia Boon Choy and Japanese rider Masaya Inoue of Team Japan. 

In the Malaysian only Expert Runabout Open, brothers Haniff Sukri and Zulfaizal Sukri made it a one-two finish for their team CTM Racing. Lau Soon Leong of Ah Huat Motor finished third.

Team Yamaha Finland rider Pancho Marjak made it a double for him when he took the top honours in the Pro-Am Runabout 4 Stroke Stock. Team Indonesia Aero Sutan Aswar finished second while Toshi 'Samurai' Ohara of Team WPS Japan took third place.

In the Novice Runabout 4 Stroke Stock category, Meganrata Racing rider Bryan Chia Wai Yuen was at the top of the podium. He was flanked by Aqsa Sutan Aswar of Team Indonesia in second place and Jetsar Racing Team, Elgernon Clayton Mindaw in third.

The Endurance category which tested the ability of man and machine to last the distance saw Seth Wilkinson of X1 Racing coming in at first place. Independent rider Zulfaizal Abu Bakar came in second place while Aero Sutan Aswar of Team Indonesia finished third.

The only woman rider in the Endurance race, Ika Natasya Yahya of CTM Racing finished in a credible ninth place.

Then prior to the prize giving ceremony, those who were present at the Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort Marina & Spa were entertained by a demonstration race of the powerful F3000 Powerboats.

To all winners and participants, CONGRATULATIONS!



...

The World...

...Jet-ski-ing into Town

Today marked the beginning of the 2011 edition of Terengganu World Invitational Jet-ski Challenge. The competition is being held at the prestigious Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa which is home of the renowned Monsoon Cup.

There was no race on the first day of April as it was allocated for registration of teams and participants, followed by free practice session on the race course. The sun shone brightly thus giving everybody their chance to test their machines.

mad redo1 will be back tomorrow morning at Ri-Yaz to capture the motos that are scheduled to take place beginning at 0930hrs. The challenge are divided into the following categories:

1 - Novice Runabout 4 Stroke Stoke (8 laps)
2 - Expert Runabout Open - Malaysians only (10 laps)
3 - Veterans Runabout Open - 40+ (8 laps)
4 - Pro-Am Runabout 4 Stroke Stock (10 laps)
5 - Women Runabout Open (8 laps)
6 - Pro-Am Runabout 800 Open (8 laps)
7 - Pro-Am Runabout Open (12 laps)

There are four motos to be completed by riders, three on Saturday while the fourth will be on Sunday. After the completion of the last moto, the Endurance Race will take place after lunch break.

The challenge attracts riders from Japan, Finland, France, the United States, Thailand, Brunie as well local riders from Malaysia, and of course, Terengganu.

There are a number of side attractions happening on Pulau Duyong, with traditional games such as sepak raga bulat, duck catching competition, four-a-side beach football and the main attraction, the F3000 Powerboat Demo Race.

More photos HERE.


...

Reasonable Lead...

...to Lahore.

Malaysia will take a two goal lead to Lahore when meeting Pakistan in the second leg of the 2012 Olympic Qualifier First Round match. It could have been a bigger lead but a combination of failing to find the target and inspired goalkeeping by the visitors kept the score to just 2-0 by the end of the ninety plus minutes.

Head Coach Ong Kim Swee could not have wished for a better start from his boys when Wan Zaharul Nizam Wan Zakaria scored just after four minutes. The midfielder latched on to a loose ball from a corner and with his back to the goal Zaharul took an extra touch before unleashing a shot on the turn which flew past the entire Pakistan defence.

Photo by Fazdlie Ahmad 'Deto'

The crowd at the Shah Alam Stadium erupted with joy and many would have been expecting it a was a floodgate being open to more goals.

Unfortunately their expectations remained unfulfilled with quite a number of chances went a begging. However Malaysia were handed a break in the last few minutes of the first half when Pakistan were reduced to ten men when red mist descended on their striker Ansar Abbas.

The striker went up with Malaysia goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi to challenge for a high ball but it was the custodian that came out on top. However, Ansar pushed ball out of Khairul's hands, a foul which was spotted by Hong Kong referee, Liu Kwok Man. Perhaps not satisfied the decision Ansar kicked at Khairul which left Mr Liu with no choice but to flash the red card.

Perhaps they were shocked by the decision but The Pakistanis seemed to lose their concentration and Malaysia made the most of this situation. From an attack the ball was delivered into the box frpm the left. The Pakistan defence tried to clear the ball but it felt to Irfan Fazail who was lurking at the top of the box.

He connected sweetly with a first timer and the low shot went past the Pakistan defence and the unsighted goalkeeper Yousuff Ejaz Butt. It was not a night to remember for Yousuff when he was replaced by his coach, Tareq Lutfi with Muhammad Umer.

It proved to be a wise decision by Tareq as Umer turned out a blinder as he kept Malaysia at bay in the next forty five minute. Of course his job was made easier by Malaysian players who failed to find the target on a number of occassions.

But not conceding a goal during the match could prove to be more pivotal and if they could score an early goal in Lahore then the tie could be as over with Pakistan needing to score four goals in order to advance.

Not to sound cocky but it will be too much to ask from the Pakistanis. But then again, football could be so unpredictable thus Ong kim Swee's boys should not be complacent with the win.

COME ON TIGERS!

...

Two Goals...

...to the Good.

Malaysia won 2-0 against Hong Kong in an international friendly match at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. There was no scene of celebration in Kuala Terengganu tonight as there was nothing much at stake.

At first mad redo1 rode his Mortimer to T-Cafe, the scene where celebrations were loud and boisterous after the final whistle of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup was blown and Malaysia were crowned champions. Unfortunately, it did not show the telecast on its big screen this time (how unpatriotic).

It was not Indonesia, of course. But the first outing for the Malayan Tigers after the successful campaign in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup was equally important as fans would want to see the continuation of the good work that have been done during the tournament.

With none of his GSN mates around he decided to ride around and after riding around for a few minutes he went to the Shahbandar. Much to his surprise the match was telecast on the big screen there. Thus he parked his Mortimer and sat his bums and set himself to see the Malayan Tigers in action again.

There were a few changes in the starting line-up with Aidil Zakuan returning to the centre of defence, partnering Fadzli Shas. In midfield Gurusamy started the match in the position occupied by Amar Rohidan during the Suzuki Cup. While Safee Salee had Ahmad Fakri Saraani as his partner instead of Norshahrul Idlan Talaha who began the match on the bench.

The match was largely played in the middle but it was Malaysia who first had their sight on goal with Safee's half volley stinging the Hong Kong goalkeeper into action. With the action being largely played in the middle there were not many chances.

(Image was taken from Sukan Mania page)

As the match was edging towards the interval Malaysia's persistent play paid off when skipper Safiq Rahim chased a seemingly lost cause bear unexpected fruit. A Hong Kong defender tried to shield the ball from Safiq but he miscalculated his attempt and fell to the ground.

In the process his feet kept the ball in play which Safiq gleefully took and after beating another defender unleashed a low shot which beat the goalkeeper at the near post. Rajagobal's men went to the dressing room with a single goal lead.

The match became livelier in the second half as the visitors tried to take something out of the match. Goalkeepers Khairul Fahmi and his substitute, Farizal Marlias both had to made several routine saves but overall the Malaysian defence dealt with everything Hong Kong threw at them.

Kunanlan and substitute Mahathevan both had opportunities to give their country a healthier lead but failed to hit the target with their attempts. Then as the match seemed to end with just a goal, Amirulhadi Zainal received a wonderful long pass from Sabree Abu inside the box.

The Selangor winger's first touch was a bit heavy and took the ball wide from the goal. At first it seemed the goalscoring opportunity was lost but Hadi kept his cool and swung his right foot. The ball hit the retreating goalkeeper, wrong-footing the covering defender before trickling into the net.

It was 2-0 and in the end it was all that matters for all Malaysians.

For mad redo1 the way the Malaysian team played it was a sign of maturity with every player seemed comfortable on the ball and when passing it around. Everybody seemed to be on the same wavelength most of the time.

However, it was just a friendly and the real deal will come when they face better quality oppositions in a more competitive environment. But until that day, it was certainly a win to enjoy before life returns to Super League action this Friday with Terengganu travelling to Kangar to face the Northern Lions while T-Team 'entertain' the Young Tigers.

Current standings of the Super League after two round of matches.
(click for a larger view)

...

Glory, Glory...

...Malayan Tigers!

mad redo1 stepped on the gas as the kick-off time drew nearer. The photo session for the Terengganu 2011 President Cup squad took longer than expected. By the time he set foot at T-Cafe, the place was packed to the brim.

Luckily as he was looking for his GSN mates mad redo1 heard his name being shouted from the middle of the crowd. It was Arif Akar Umbi, a fellow photographer who already reserved a seat (not really sure it was originally for mad redo1 though).

As he sat his bum on the chair and set his view to the large screen it was obvious this is not going to be just an ordinary night of watching football. It was a sea of yellow sprinkled by dots of blue and almost everybody had a Jalur Gemilang in their hands.

With a healthy 3-0 lead from the first leg, Rajagobal's boys could just sit back and invite the Indonesians to come at them. However, unlike the second leg match against Vietnam in the semi-final there was no buses parked in front of the goal, instead on many occasions Malaysia took the match to the home side.

The home side needed a break annd it duly came in the 18th minute when the Australian referee Peter Green awarded what mad redo1 considered a soft penalty when a shot by an Indonesian player hit Sabree Abu's hand inside the box. It was a case of ball going to the hand rather than the opposite.

Perhaps Mr Green lacked the balls to say 'No' as the pressure from the throng of home supporters who were baying for Malaysian blood during the days leading up to the final finally paid dividends.

Indonesian captain Firman Utina stepped up to take the responsibility of giving millions of his countrymen a glimmer of hope that they would be able to overturn the deficit. Unfortunately his execution was poor making it very easy for Khairul Fahmi to save it.

Ashaari Shamsudin who scored the vital second goal in the first leg went close again when he got the better of an Indonesian defender to buy himself a bit of space but Marcus Harison managed to palm it away.

But it was the Terengganu forward's vision nine minutes into the second half that effectively killed the tie. After gaining possession inside his own half, Ashaari spotted striker Safee Sali's run. With a pass that was inch perfect, he released the striker who did not have to break his stride to unleashed a shot that beat Marcus at his near post.

Pandemonium broke loose at T-Cafe as almost everybody there celebrated in a scene that perhaps has not been seen in Terengganu since the 2001 Malaysia Cup final triumph. A four nil lead and an away goal meaning the Indonesians have to repeat their 5-1 opening day victory over the Tigers.

From being a Kilimanjaro suddenly it has changed into an Everest.

The rest of the match was a mere formality despite the equaliser by Mohamad Nasuha after Khairul Fahmi could only parry a stiff shot by Bambang Pamungkas. Malaysians were already in celebratory mood even though Indonesia scored the winner of the match two minutes from time when Malaysia defender Mohamad Muslim Ahmad headed past his own goalkeeper in trying to block Mohamad Ridwan's shot.

Malaysia won the tie on a 4-2 aggregate thus ending a fourteen year wait to get their hands on the trophy.

In a joyous celebration at T-Cafe mad redo1 and other Malaysians cheered the team as they went up the podium to receive their winners' medal. It was a night to remember for many Malaysians and one mad redo1 hopes of repeating over and over again in the future.

Note: All images are taken from the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup website.

...

Tigers...

...Roar!

Having just woke up from his deep slumber after an eventful journey to Bukit Jalil, mad redo1 still feel the elation of seeing with his own eyes the 3-0 victory Malaysia carved over neighbour Indonesia in the first leg of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup Final.

After having to rely on the Indonesians for a place in the semi-finals, Malaysia have gone from strength to strength with a near efficient performance against Vietnam in the first leg before putting on a workmanlike display in Hanoi to qualify to the final with a 2-0 aggregate win to face, ironically the Indonesians.

mad redo1 with his fellow GanuSoccer.Net forum members boarded the bus at the Sultan Ismail Nasirudin Shah Stadium with other fans who would lend their voices to support The Tigers in their quest for their first senior title since the 1989 SEA Games gold medal. They came close in the inaugural AFF Cup in 1996 but lost to the Thais in the final in Singapore.

The journey was uneventful for most part except during a stretch on the East Coast Highway when the bus started to sway left and right in an extra-ordinary way when passing a boxed lorry. The swaying was strong enough to wake mad redo1 from his sleep and immediately his mind flashed all recent tragedies involving buses.

Fortunately it stopped a while later. When the bus made a pit stop at the Temerloh Rest Area mad redo1 found that he was not alone feeling the sway. However no reason was given why it happened as the driver was tight lipped about the incident.

The party decided to head to Putrajaya rather than spend their time in the city centre. After refreshing ourselves at the Putra Mosque and filling our tummy at a hawker centre in the 8th Precinct, we headed to the Alamanda Putrajaya to spend our time before heading to the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil.

There many members opted to bowl some pins after the initial plan of watching a movie at the Golden Screen Cinema had to be shelved due to time constraint. However mad redo1 prefer to rest his eyes with a few winks at the table and despite the noise he managed to get his much needed shuteye.

Lunch was a wok's affair at the food court before proceeding to the new Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin or more famously known as the Steel Mosque to freshen up and pray. Then it was straight to Bukit Jalil, and despite being a short distance only from Putrajaya, the road leading there had begun to jam with vehicles going to the same destination.

We embarked at a nearby spot and marched to the stadium when the Indonesians have begun marching to their gates while hoisting a giant Indonesian flag on top of their heads. mad redo1 did not think it is possible to do the same thing in Jakarta.

While waiting for another member who would bring the tickets we converged at a spot and there both set of fans mingled cheerfully with clearly no tension in the air, again something mad redo1 think is not possible in Jakarta.

It was quite sometime before the match was scheduled to begin but the fans already begun to sing and cheering led by the 'Ultras' who now have brought supporting the national team a new level which never seen before in Malaysia.

When the match started mad redo1 was seated at the lower tier near to the corner flag. It was a good location but an uncivilised Malaysian spoiled the viewing of many by sitting on the wall. Perhaps it was a reflection of the match in the first half which left mad redo1 a bit disappointed.

During the interval mad redo1 tried to join his GSN mates at the middle tier but found his route was blocked by a sea of bodies. Through these bodies he tried to watch the match and then he caught the sight of Norshahrul Idlan getting the better of the Indonesian left-back before delivering the ball to the middle where Safee Sali applied the finishing touch.

Cue pandemonium at Bukit Jalil as Malaysians there and throughout the country celebrated the first strike. While celebrating this goal mad redo1 took the opportunity to wade through and found himself a good spot to watch the next goal which was scored by Terengganu very own Ashaari Shamsudin after the initial shot by Norshahrul was deflected into his path by an Indonesian defender.

It was like being in a dream and when Safee's powerful header hit the back of the net for the third goal mad redo1 wished the dream would go on and on and on. He wished for another goal but in the end 3-0 was as good as it got and for many Malaysians it is certainly the best way to get over the 5-1 humiliation suffered in the opening match.

Despite a bit of stress on the way home, the journey was full with joy and the three goals scored and the clean sheet by the defence put many Malaysians in a confident mood for the return leg at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium on Wednesday.

All around cheers for you Malayan Tigers!

Thank you to those who snapped mad redo1's mug during this joyful journey

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Bukit Jalil...

...Here we Come!

The title has been reserved for quite a long while for the mad redo1's trip to the National Stadium to watch his beloved Terengganu playing in a cup final. Unfortunately it has been 'so near, yet so far' cases with the Turtles over the last few seasons. The last time was way back in 2004 for the FA Cup final when Terengganu lost to Perak in extra-time.

Since then his hopes to support his local team there has been dashed every season.

This time he is not going to wait anymore and if everything goes according to plan he will be among thousands of fans at Bukit Jalil tomorrow night but this time he would not be supporting his heroes in white and black.

Instead mad redo1 will lend his voice to the cause of the Tigers who are facing the Indonesians in their quest for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup trophy. Instead of the usual white and black it will be yellow and black this time around despite Malaysia have opted to play in the blue strip.

It will be a magnificent turnaround if we manage to land our first regional trophy at senior level since the SEA Games triumph in 1989 come 29 December. Having lost 5-1 against the same opposition in the opening match at the intimidating Gelora Bung Karno Stadium we will start as the underdogs for tomorrow clash.

What Malaysians are expecting of the players donning the national colours tomorrow is to give their all to the cause that will definitely lift the spirits of the whole nation and give Malaysian football further boost in their attempt to climb up the FIFA World Ranking.

It is vital to keep a clean sheet again tomorrow as we did against Vietnam in the last four. It is much better that we eliminated the defending champions rather than facing the supposedly minnow Phillippines which the Indonesians could only score once in each of their semi-final encounter.

From his point of view, mad redo1 feels coach Rajagobal will deploy a counter-attacking strategy which worked well against the Indonesians when we managed to take the lead before defensive frailties unraveled all the good work. We definitely will not be seeing buses again in front of the goal as goals are needed to ensure a good chance when the team travel to Jakarta.

Hopefully our forwards will be at their sharpest to make the most of the opportunities that will come their way, which should be rare given the defensive record of the Indonesians during the tournament. At the same time every player must maintain their discipline in order to keep the Indonesians at bay.

It will be the first time mad redo1 taking a bus trip with fellow fans and it is his first time too supporting Malaysia at close quarters as all this while it has been supporting from afar, perhaps more due to distance rather than non-patriotic feeling because mad redo1 is as patriotic as any Malaysian out there.

COME ON TIGERS!


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Living...

...with Limitations

Malaysia qualified for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup final after holding defending champions Vietnam to a scoreless draw at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, our first final since 1996. mad redo1 sat his bums again at T-Cafe with his GanuSoccer.Net GSN mates to watch the match.

Photo was taken from www.affsuzukicup.com

As the match went on it was obvious that Malaysia Coach Rajagopal Krishnasamy had planned to park buses in front of his team's goal with the intention to defend the two goal lead from the first leg at all cost. In front of Muslim Ahmad and his line of defenders was another layer comprised of midfielders Amar Rohidan and Mohamad Safiq Rahim with flankers Kunanlan Subramaniam and Amirul Hadi Zainal deployed more as defenders rather than as attackers.

The approach drew much criticisms from many Malaysia supporters at the cafe. For every clearance made by Malaysian players it would be accompanied by howl of disappointment at seeing the ball coming back as Vietnam continued attacking relentlessly.

Photo was taken from www.affsuzukicup.com

Perhaps Rajagopal believed that his options were limited thus decided to deploy a tactic usually seen in the English Premier League when teams such as Wigan Athletics or Sunderland paying a visit to Arsenal or Manchester United.

It was a rather dangerous tactic which could go either way but fortunately for the Malaysians the home side failed to make the most of the ball which seemed to be glued to their feet throughout the match. Even when they managed to beat a Malaysian player there would be another covering behind him thus limiting them to taking shots from afar or trying to win free-kicks by simulating fouls.

The tactic backfired for Vietnam when Pham Thanh Luong was booked for simulating a foul as he ran into the box and with Kunanlan was about to tackle him. However the Malaysian player held his foot back but at the time Thanh Luong was already on his way down.

The incident unfolded right in front of referee Kim Sang-woo who had no hesitation in flashing the yellow card to the culprit. It was his second of the night thus resulting in a teary walk back to the dressing room.

Khairul Fahmi was not really tested with no significant save required from the Kelantan custodian as Vietnam failed to hit the target with most of their shots. The ones that were on target did not really trouble the goalkeeper.

Malaysia had their chances with Shahrul Idlan Talaha going close with a long range shot in the first half but it curled on the wrong side of the post. The introduction of 2010 Super League Topscorer, Ashaari Shamsudin injected more zest into the attack and was unlucky not to silence the home crowd when his low shot just crept outside the near post after cutting inside from the flanks.

There were chances too for skipper Mohamad Safiq Rahim, Amri Yahyah and two goal hero from the first leg Safee Sali but these Selangor players just could not convert the openings that came their way. For many Malaysian approach was a bit Machavellian but the same set of fans seemed to feel the joy at seeing the nation qualify for their first senior final since 1996.

Now, it will be either the Indonesians or the Pinoys on Boxing Day at Bukit Jalil. Will mad redo1 be there to support the Tigers? Watch this space.



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A Nation's...

...Joy

After ninety plus minutes of sitting his bums at T-Cafe near the Giant Hypermarket mad redo1 finally went home a happy Malaysian. The reason? Malaysia just defeated defending champions Vietnam 2-0 in the first leg of the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup Championship semi-finals.

Photo taken from www.affsuzukicup.com

Two goals from Safee Salee in the second half ensured a comfortable lead for the second leg clash in Hanoi on Saturday. The most important outcome from the match was the clean sheet kept by the Malaysian defence, led by Mohamad Muslim Ahmad which managed to keep the visitors attack at bay and made the goalkeeper's job a lot easier.

K Rajagobal's men should expect a hostile and intimidating environment when they line-up at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi for the second leg. However, if they just ignore the environment and resist any provocation to throw off their game by the Vietnamese then they just need to play for a scoreless draw but that does not mean we have to adopt a defensive strategy.

One of the key objectives for the second leg is not to concede an early goal as this will motivate the home side to attack more and at the same time will plant seeds of doubts in the mind of Malaysian players. The longer the match go without a goal it will put more pressure on the home team and the crowd will get on their back, which will do us a huge favour.

Fortunately last night Vietnam goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong was in a generous mood by letting Safee's bullet header slip through his grasp in the 61st minute thus giving the home side the breakthrough. The Malaysians did not look back and went further ahead nine minutes from time when Safee pounced on a loose ball after Tan Truong could only parry a shot from Mohamad Safiq Rahim.

For many Malaysians it is certainly a victory to savour and certainly a lift for Malaysian football, especially after the opening day defeat to Indonesia. If Malaysia manage to get a positive result in Hanoi then a repeat of the meeting with the Indonesians will be on the cards as they are expected to get past the Phillippines in the second semi-final.

If Malaysia qualify for the final, the question where mad redo1 will seat his bums will be determined just before Christmas.

Come on Tigers!



...

A Nation's...

...Hope

After a bad start to their AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 campaign, many Malaysians felt that it is going to be the same old story for the Malaysian national team, albeit with a new man at the helm. However, coach K Rajagobal rallied his men and after holding the much fancied Thailand to a scoreless draw they thrashed Laos 5-1 to sneaked into the last four after the result of the match between host Indonesia and the Thais went our way.

Thus tonight Malaysia will face defending champions Vietnam at the Nasional Stadium in the first leg of their semi-final clash with the second leg scheduled to take place on Saturday in Hanoi on Saturday.

Going into the match Malaysia players should not put themselves under too much pressure as the Vietnamese are the favourites, being the defending champions of the competition.

Rajagobal's men have gone from strength to strength in the competition and for many Malaysians who will fill the Nasional Stadium's seats a fighting display by the players will win their hearts regardless of the result.

Recent results against the Vietnamese have not been encouraging but all those are in the past and tonight it is going to be a new ballgame altogether. Thus the confidence that the squad has right now should be used o the fullest and with the backing of a good crowd at the Nasional Stadium, Malaysia should get a good result for their second leg encounter on Saturday.

As a Ganuan, mad redo1 would like to see Sharbinee Allawee back between the posts for Malaysia as his performance against Indonesia was top class despite conceding five goals. Rajagobal should have stood by the custodian instead of giving the spot to Khairul Fahmi whose performance against Thailand and Laos were decent but nothing much to shout about.

But irrespective of which player going to start against Vietnam tonight the support of mad redo1 and almost all Malaysians will be with the Tigers in the first quest to be in the final for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1996 in Singapore when they lost to Thailand.

Good luck Tigers!


...

Tigers...

...Mauled!

It was not the scoreline every Malaysian would have imagine prior to the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 clash between bitter rivals Indonesia and Malaysia. Many would feel it is a hard task to defeat the Indonesians especially in front of their partisan home crowd thus a draw or a low scoring defeat would be acceptable.

Unfortunately the worst thing could happen, happened. At the end of the ninety minutes played the scoreline read; INDONESIA 5 MALAYSIA 1.

It was certainly a victory every Indonesian dreamed about and for every Malaysian, their worst nightmare.

However, both coaches agreed the scoreline did not reflect the quality of the match with Malaysia certainly made life tough for the home side. Perhaps the actual difference between the teams was there were too many mistakes committed by the Malaysians.

Malaysia took the lead in the 19th minute when a long ball out of defence found its way to Mohamad Safee Sali who took on two defenders before laying it to Shahrul Idlan Talaha. The striker lifted the ball before unleashing a volley which was powerful enough to beat the Indonesian goalkeeper. A well taken goal.

The equaliser for the home side was stated as an own goal by defender Mohamad Asrarudin but the cross from the right should not have been allowed in the first place. Then another Malaysian player committed the cardinal sin in football when he was caught in possession around the penalty area.

When the ball found its way to Uruguayan born Christian Gonzales, it was a matter of picking out his spot to beat Sharbinee Allawee in the Malaysian goal. The Terengganu goalkeeper performed heroically throughout the match, preventing a number of chances from being turned into goals by the Indonesian forward.

However, he was helpless when his defender went asleep again when Indonesia substitute Muhamad Ridwan tried to play a one-two at the edge of the Malaysian penalty box. Defender Mohamad Fadli Shas tried to block the ball but the it fell into the path of Ridwan who continued his run with no Malaysian player alert enough to stick with him which made his task in beating Sharbinee a lot easier.

If the equaliser could be deemed as an unfortunate incident for Asrarudin, conceding the fourth goal was of his own making. A high ball which should have been bread and butter for the defender was mis-controlled by Asrarudin. The loose ball was pounced by Arif Suyono who had the strength to shrug off the challenges by the Malaysian defence before slotting the ball past Sharbinee, who was clearly disappointed with his defence.

Then deep into stoppage time when many Malaysians were thinking nothing worse could happen, the Indonesian broke through again. Again it was on the right and the cross by Oktovianus Maniani was turned in by Irfan Bachdim to give the scoreline a huge gloss for his side while a gloom outlook for the Malaysians who now will take on perennial favourite Thailand in their next match which could determine who will be in the last four of the competition.

It was certainly not a night to remember for Malaysians but it is certainly not the end of the fight either.

C'MON TIGERS!



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