Malaysia national team still secure unbeaten record in 2023 after tie with China national team with a score of 1-1 in the International Friendly ‘A’ Match at Pheonix Hill Football Stadium, Chengdu.
Malaysia, created a surprise when he was ahead of Faisal Halim’s goal in the 11th minute after receiving Akhyar Rashid’s pass.
It cannot be denied that China was seen as dominating the game, which saw Pan Gon’s men forced to work hard, especially in defense following attacks linked to the flow of opposing troops trying to hunt for an equalizer.
After surviving for more than half an hour of play, Harimau Malaya’s goal was finally missed by Lin Liangming’s heavy shot which the goalkeeper, Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, failed to save in the 36th minute.
Pan Gon then made several changes in the second half including bringing on the Malaysian League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), Arif Aiman Hanapi, Syahmi Safari and Junior Eldstal at the start of the second half in an attempt to improve Harimau Malaya’s offering.
Fierce action continued to be displayed by both teams with Harimau Malaya also having several opportunities to score goals but they failed to translate into goals.
Unfortunately for China’s Li Shuai, he was carried away by ambulance in the 83rd minute following a collision with Syahmi.
China made several dangerous attempts at the Malaysian goal at the end of the game, but still failed to add to the score and were forced to settle for a draw against a lower ranking team at home.
Overall, Harimau Malaya showed another successful positive performance before going to the 2023 Asian Cup next year after successfully defeating the 94th ranked team in the world, Syria 2-2, last Wednesday.
The draw could be considered a surprise for Harimau Malaya because it is not easy to face China who has a higher ranking, let alone having to absorb the high pressure of acting in front of thousands of opposing fans.
Credit Photo : FAM
