The year it was: 2007 | #KaranganBolaSepak
The year it was: 2007 | #KaranganBolaSepak by ABearfromSEA
July 2007. To be specific, 10 July 2007.
The humid heatwave descended down on Bandar Sunway, Selangor, that afternoon. Class ended earlier than expected. Normally I would just return to my hostel and take a nap before waking up for dinner and maybe (if I am not procrastinating) do some revision.
Not that day though. And I still remember it vividly.
“Bear, want to go for a drink?”
“No thanks.” Me without thinking that long. “I’m going straight back to the library, see ya.”
At the library, I went straight to the computer room and typed “Indonesia vs Bahrain” on Google Search. A livescore page popped up as the second most-searched site. Immediately clicking on it, this was the first thing that flashed on the screen:
INDONESIA 1-0 BAHRAIN 25’ min. Budi Sudarsono.
OMG! My first thought: now the heat is on AFC Asian Cup co-hosts Malaysia, especially after Thailand drew against Iraq in the opener in Bangkok and Vietnam’s shock win against the United Arab Emirates at home the next day. Can Indonesia put up another win for South East Asian pride? How will the Skuad Kebangsaan (back then the Malaysian National Team yet to be known as Harimau Malaya) fare?
An hour and a half later,
INDONESIA 2-1 BAHRAIN FT BAMBANG “BANG BANG” PAMUNGKAS NETTED THE WINNER.
The pressure is certainly on for Malaysia. How I wish I am at the stadium to witness and support Norizan Bakar’s boys. Unfortunately, back then public transport in Klang Valley was not as it is today. Disappointment is there, but no worries, I said to myself. Good thing at hostel common room no one is using the television set. Tuesday night sorted.
8:30 pm. News broadcast ends early. Cue the intro music of some pop rock group. Hafizal Hamad hosting the pre match talk.
D-Day has come. Tensions rise. My palms are getting moisturized by the sweat. Nervous thoughts about the ending. How funny when a non-Malaysian has any stake in Malaysian football? Till today I still have no idea.
Malaysia vs China starts at 8:40pm and away we go.
Azizon Abdul Kadir defending the net, with Rosdi Talib on the left and Fauzi Nan on the right. Centre is guarded by Kaironnisam Sahabudin the captain and Norhafiz Zamani as support. At the midfield we got the quartet of Hardi Jaafar, Shukor Adan, Shahrulnizam Mustapa and Fadzli Saari. Attacking up front are the duo of Akmal Rizal and Hairuddin Omar.
From the first whistle the gameplay is nothing but shocking. For the first time being a quiet Malaysian football supporter, my only thought is just “please don’t concede, please don’t concede.”
As they say, hope springs eternal. They don’t last long though. In the 15th minute Malaysia conceded. “Is ok, calm down. Things going to be all right. Norizan Bakar got some plans.” Back then I wasn’t that naive to think this is going to happen. And looking back, how silly of me….
Despite the Malaysian midfielders’ best effort to supply balls to Akmal and Hairuddin, it rarely, if ever, reached their feet. With midfield clueless, strikers unable to penetrate an intentionally loose Chinese defense and defenders leaving a big hole for Han Peng and Wang Dong to do whatever they like, how I just wish the time is now 10:30 pm. It is excruciating to watch, simply unbearable, a lengthy torture. I could switch off the television, but just couldn’t.
36 minutes, 2-0 to China. And is half time. Calm down, relax, take a deep breath. I think to myself again. Is still fine. 2-0 not so bad. Norizan Bakar yet to use Eddy Helmi and Indra Putra, potential secret weapon. Yakin Boleh!
And again, how naïve could it be.
6 minutes into second half, 3-0. I could have cried like this little boy. But big boys don’t cry, remember?
4 minutes after that, 4-0.
Ok, this time I’m not crying just yet. But my heart is really weeping.
Why oh why for the first time I ever watched Malaysian national team, where losing is common but not at this stage? Is deeply embarrassing. A real laughing stock over forums and newspapers is coming tomorrow. Can’t bear to watch the news either.
No, that’s not me. But this is my feeling back then, at least inside my body.
70 minutes into the game, and questions started to ring in around me, like why is Norizan Bakar that incompetent? What is FAM doing? Do they have any shame? Manchester United over Asian Cup? What the f*& is that?
3 minutes after the 70 minutes mark, again my naïve mind come to me again. Indra Putra placing shot is in for Malaysia’s first (and sadly after the tournament, only) goal. YES! YES! YES! Malaysia is going to do an Istanbul. Come on! Ayuh!
There is some confidence after Indra Putra came on and made an impact. At stoppage time my mood went back to the crying boy image. Totally disappointing. 5-1? Just like that? So much disappointment and a bit of anger, I did not switch on the laptop that day. Straight away go to sleep with thoughts of how I’m going to class tomorrow with this type of news…
Malaysia went on to lose 5-0 to Uzbekistan and 2-0 to Iran. 12 goals conceded with Indra Putra goal a saving face for FAM. Norizan Bakar instantly sacked, Malaysians poked fun at their own national team and FAM too embarrassed to show themselves.
Things have changed a lot since. But make no mistake, if there is any event that changed Malaysia football forever, it was on this day, 10 July 2007.
-End-
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