The Malaysia Experiment - David vs Goliath

”It’s not how big you are,
it’s how big you play.“ - John Wooden

I'm so excited I could barely sleep at night. It'll be my first ever final with Harimau Malaya. South East Asian Football Championship (otherwise known as the Suzuki Cup) is a bi-annual football competition that started since 1996. There have been eleven editions in which we reached the semifinal eight times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014), of which we progressed to reach the final three times (1996, 2010 2014), and sadly only won it once (2010). Thailand (126th), on the other hand, had already won it five times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016)! We're faced with some heavyweight contender here and I suppose their morale is on an all-time high after beating Brunei (155th) in the very last minute!

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I was dealt with a blow to my line up as Lee Jinxiang won't be fit to play after being diagnosed with a virus. I do have Benjamin Ibrahim and Thomas Irudinathan to choose from to replace in the right side of midfield. Ibrahim actually has better stats compared to Irudinathan, but his natural position is right midfielder like David Beckham; while in my formation, I need an attacking right winger like Cristiano Ronaldo in his early days.

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So match day comes, even though the stadium is three quarters filled, I can still hear our fans singing loud and strong! The team sheet came out and it seems like Thailand is playing the same formation. I've decided not to put a square peg in a round hole, so I opted for Irudianathan as he also had a decent showing (7.1) in the last outing against Indonesia. Tay Kok Fann also beat Mohd Shafiq Zahrul Nizam based on merits.

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The whistle blew and we're ready to go! I could sense the nervous vibes among the boys but they soon settled down. We had our beak in the 11th minute as Luqman Hussain raced down the left after receiving a pass from Tay Kok Fann. He skipped past Sathiti Kuansathaworanit, who was already on a yellow card after an early booking, and whipped in a cross. Muhaimin Jamaludin (176 cm) lost the ariel battle between Naruebat Saweangphet (183 cm) who headed it out, only for it to reach Tay Kok Fann. Saweangphet made a blunder and Jamaludin took full advantage to score. Just like that, we're 1-0 up!

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In the 24th minute, Tay Kok Fann sprayed a pass to the left again. Hussain was really tormenting Kuansathaworanit on the left and this time it wasn't any different. He sent in a cross and Jamaludin raced towards it and tries a hear from an acute angle. It bullets past Rattanapol Prikboonjan and we doubled our lead! Hussain was really making his mark early on.

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We approached halftime 2-0 up; what more could I ask for? We were dominating in the possessions and they had no shots on target. All I did was to spur them on and reminded them to keep Thailand at bay because there was still an away leg awaiting after this match.

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Right out of the gate, Irudinathan who has yet to impressed, sent in a cross and Jamaludin duly converted! His hattrick was complete. After weeks of underwhelming performances, he's finally repaying my trust, in the final!

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Two minutes later, Thailand pulled one back from a set piece. Our boys were simply ball-watching and Kuansathaworanit sneaked in at the far post to score and make amends to his previous errors. I responded by making some substitues in my defense; Mansor Mohd Noor for Abhishek Pannierselvam at center back and Nor Azli Abdul Ghani for Muhd Syazwan Ismawi at left back.

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In the 78th minute, Irudinathan and Jamaludin connected again and we restored our three-goal cushion. I was comtemplating whether to sub him out so I could keep him fresh from the next game. I'm glad I left him in as he manages to get another shot in on the volley.

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As we were approaching the final whistle, deep into injury time, the Irudinathan-Jamaludin combo wasn't quite done yet.
The right winger sent a dangerous cross in, the ball bounced around and landed in front of our poacher. He tried a shot on his weaker foot and scores! Nothing could go wrong for him today! If he was out to send me a message, I got it loud and clear!

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I've never seen anything stat sheet more beautiful than this. 60% possession, Jamaludin with a maximum rating of 10, and most importantly - a 5-1 win! Here are the highlights of the memorable match.

Rajamangala Stadium, here we come! I keep reminding myself and the staff team as well that even with a four-goal lead, we're playing against the record holders.

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The capacity crowd was roaring Thailand on and Saddam El-Hafedz Shari had to make a double save from Piya Kuakate to keep the score goalless. The Irudinathan-Jamaludin combo struck again and we're ahead in the 38th minute. I certainly felt déjà vu when I saw the goal.

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We're were leading at halftime and I'm actually wondering if Pannierselvam has his head in the clouds. It's the second consecutive match that he has been the 'worst' performer from our team. I guess the interest from Paris Saint-German is really affecting him.

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The IT combo struck again and they've really got the 'it' factor! Irudinathan sent a long ball over everyone and Jamaludin won the race against Suthiwat Samrampan. Prikbonjan actually saved Jamaludin's first shot but the rebound landed in front of the striker and he was not about to miss two times in a row. Two goals up on the night and 7-1 on aggregate.

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Ismawi was caught napping and Nuakate took advantage and sent a cross in. Manot Yodprom (ML), who was playing out of position tonight (DL), has somehow found himself right in front of goal. He rose the highest and headed down to Srikampang, who volleyed to cut the deficit by half.

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We kicked off and passed the ball around and Mazlan tried to go route one. Unfortunately, Wichit Kham-aksom was on hand to make the interception. Sitthichai Sookjitthammakul then waiting for the right moment to pass it to Yodprom. Ismawi was day dreaming again and Nuakate punished him by scoring a thumping header towards goal. It hit the post but Shahri had already commited so when it bounced back to Nuakate, he had an empty net to tap it in. Just like that, we're even on the night. I was furious with Ismawi! I instantly subbed him out with Abdul Ghani.

We managed to keep the status quo and ended the night with the trophy in our hands! It was my first trophy and I was really savoring the moment. We sprayed champagne on each other in the dressing room and partied way into the night! After all, we were in Bangkok!

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We dominated the awards as 'IT' swept all in front of them. Jamaludin had 10 goals to his name while Irudianathan provided 5 assists. Jamaludin also won the MVP with an average rating of 7.78! We had a perfect record right up to the last match, a 2-2 draw hat was deemed the best match of the tournament. Personally, 5-1 first leg win was unforgettable for me. :)

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The All-Star XI showed that we're really potent on the right. We also won fair play award with the least yellow and red card.

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Next time I see the squad, we'll be heading to United Arab Emirates!

If you enjoyed this entry, do check out my previous posts
from where it all started, right up to now.