KUALA LUMPUR, SEPT 5 – Head coach of the Malaysian football team, Pau Marti Vicente considered Malaysia’s 2-1 victory over the Philippines in the semi-finals of the 2024 Pestabola Merdeka at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium yesterday as an important step for the Malaya Tigers.
Vicente said every coach dreams of winning on their first assignment with the team and for the Spanish-born manager, his mission was accomplished.
However, he insisted that last night’s victory was more meaningful for the players, especially after the team made several changes including the sudden resignation of former head coach Kim Pan Gon last July.
“It’s more important to the team than to me. For me, of course all coaches want to win the first game, but I also want to win the second and third.
“Perhaps it was not as easy as we expected but in the end we managed to get the result we hoped for, which is that we advanced to the finals. As I said before now we are in the final, and we also want to win,” he said at the press conference after the match here.
In last night’s action, Malaysia trailed 0-1 thanks to an own goal by defender Muhamad Feroz Baharudin in the 27th minute.
Harimau Malaya rose to score the equalizer through Mohammad Syamer’s goal in the 43rd minute and a penalty kick by substitute winger Muhammad Safawi Rasid in the 73rd minute confirmed the victory at home. – Named
