Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Nadi: Malaysia recorded a 1-1 draw with Fiji in their final Oceania friendly at the Prince Charles Park on Sunday.
Despite Harimau Malaysia taking the lead through Amri Yahyah’s perfect finish thanks to S.Chanturu’s delivery on 41 minutes, Roy Krishna equalised for Frank Farina’s Fiji after 72 minutes.
Ong KIm Swee’s side, who are currently 173rd in the world rankings, lost 2-0 to Papua New Guinea (ranked 193rd) and defeated New Caledonia (ranked 183rd) 2-1 in their earlier Oceania ties.
“It was quite a difficult situation to play in but our players proved they were capable of adapting to hot weather and imperfect pitch conditions,” said Ong.
“We failed to preserve a lead so we need to take a look at several factors. But I believe our squad gave their utmost best in these tough conditions.
“Football is like this - if we fail to capitalise on our chances and our opponents take advantage of our failure like Roy Krishna did, a player in the A-League with good techniques, they’ll score.”
Malaysia are in the third and final round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after beating Timor-Leste 6-0 in aggregate in the qualifying playoffs.
Photo: FAM