Just A Few Things (Malaysia U-23 Vs. Philippines U-23)

Credit: FAM

Mat Yat & Mickey

Saying their nicknames together in one go makes it sound like they are a hard-hitting dynamic duo. And they showed why as they delivered a great performance that kicked off Malaysia U-23 team’s road trip to the 2020 Olympics to a great start by taking out Philippines 3-0. It was Akhyar Rashid (AKA Mat Yat) that got the ball rolling when he slammed a low shot into the far post to give Malaysia a great start.

It got even better for Mat Yat on the half hour mark when following a short corner, he cleverly improvised by backheeling a bouncing ball that trickled past the keeper. He took the Philippines defence for a ride with dribbling and creativity. He had a game to forget against Australia, but showed the kind of resilience we all wanted to see.

Faisal Abdul Halim (AKA Mickey) then soon took over from Akhyar and continued the work. He drifts in everywhere by Philippines’ final third and thoroughly confused any Philippines’ player near the box. He even got a goal himself although in controversial circumstances (We’ll go into that later). Can you imagine if both started? Full-backs in the region would have nightmares if they don’t keep their toes up.

Syahmi Sizzles

Everything about Syahmi Safari tonight was right for him. His runs, his touches, his passes, everything was top notch. It was bad enough the Philippines defence had to deal with Akhyar, but they had to deal with the Selangor full-back making bursting runs down on the right.

Syahmi provided the necessary support for newly-appointed captain Safawi Rasid to keep the attack going and most of his crosses would spell trouble for their opponents. He was a nuisance to the poor left-back and utilized fully whatever space that he can get. His fast runs and mazy dribbles dazzled the 7000+ crowd

Sayangnya…

Malaysia never looked like they were going to be threatened in any way and never letting go of their three-goal lead. But that margin should’ve been much bigger had they converted their myriad of chances. Hadi Fayyadh, the only player in the team that is playing overseas, sadly was one of the culprits. Just before half-time, a deflected shot fell to his path. With only the keeper to beat, Hadi somehow shot straight at said keeper, much to everyone’s disbelief.

Straight away after restart, Syahmi’s low cross was spilled and Hadi somehow couldn’t guide the rebound on target with the net at his mercy as those misses wasted his good work. It wasn’t just Hadi who misses chances. Two of Syamer Kutty Abba’s free headers from corners just flashed wide, Mickey himself saw an effort hit the bar from close range and Hadi’s replacement Nik Azli Nik Alias should’ve added a fourth late on with a free diving header.

Considering how hard it is to take down China, a second place finish is Malaysia’s best bet. But even that wouldn’t guarantee qualification with only results against 3rd and 1st count to determine the four (or five) best 2nd placed teams and goal difference could play a factor. If Malaysia didn’t qualify thanks to that, this match will be pinpointed as the reason.

Sing Asong

While Malaysia should’ve scored a lot more, Philippines plight could’ve been much worse had it not been their keeper, Michael Asong. Asong had to be called straight after kick-off to parry away Akhyar’s low shot that signaled it was going to be a busy night for him.

But fair play to Asong, he looked the more composed out of his teammates to deal with some of the threat Malaysia has to offer and even pulled off a few decent saves to keep the score down, notably a save by the skin of his fingertips. He showed signs of leadership and level-headedness. Personally, I feel he would be called-up for the senior squad within a few years.

A Question Of Fair Play

Malaysia’s third goal however raised controversy. With one of the Philippines players down, Malaysia put the ball out for him to get treatment. Once that was done, it was supposed to be a simple act of courtesy of giving the ball back. However, it looks like Mickey didn’t get the memo, took the ball out of Philippines possession much to their confusion and proceeded to score.

Philippines have the right to feel aggrieved by this act of unsportsmanship, but play has continued on and the referee didn’t blow the whistle to stop play so Mickey technically does have the right to press forward and attack. But one thing is for certain, he’s not getting a Fair Play award anytime soon.