Pau Marti Vicente, head coach of Malaysia national team admitted that the Philippines gave a tough performance and great opposition.
Malaysia won Philippines 2-1 in the semi-final of Pestabola Merdeka 2024 and advanced to final to face Lebanon on 8 September.
“We suffered in the last 10 minutes because the Philippines is a strong and physical team. But we have to think positively now that we’ve made it to the final,” Pau Marti explained.
Reflecting on the match, he admitted that the early goal by the Philippines served as a wake-up call for the Malayan Tigers.
“The early Filipino net woke us up, and we had to take a different approach, but the players adapted quickly,” he noted.
Pau Marti expressed his satisfaction with the way his players responded, highlighting their ability to control the game and achieve a positive result.
“The players followed what we did in the training session, so I’m happy with their performance,” he added.
Credit Photo : FAM
