KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men’s futsal team’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Championship 2022 were dashed after they lost 4-2 to hosts Thailand today.
Coach Chiew Chun Yong’s men, who went into the final Group A match at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok needing a win, suffered an early setback when Thailand went ahead through Tanapol Maneepetch when he beat Malaysian goalkeeper Muhammad Syawal Sabaruddin in the seventh minute.
Undaunted, the Harimau Malaya hit back through Farhan Khairul Anuar five minutes later.
In the second half, Malaysia began to play more aggressively and Farhan put the Harimau Malaya 2-1 up when he beat Thailand goalkeeper Katawut Hankampa in the 27th minute.
Malaysia’s joy, however, was shortlived as Thailand equalised just two minutes later through Sarawat Phalapruek.
Stunned by the equaliser, Malaysia switched to powerplay, with goalkeeper Muhammad Syawal joining the attack.
However, that proved to be Malaysia’s downfall as the hosts scored two more times, through Sarawat Phalapruek (34th minute) and Kritsada Wongkaeo (39th minute) to seal victory.
As Malaysia exited the championship, Thailand joined Indonesia in the semi-finals from Group A.
Earlier, Indonesia turned on the power to hammer Cambodia 11-2 to finish second behind Thailand in the group.
In Bangkok, Chiew said the team put up a very good fight against Thailand, however the referee’s ‘many poor decisions’ caused the boys to lose focus.
“The game plan went very well. The boys were very disciplined today which gave Thailand a tough fight. They could not find chances to penetrate us. Besides that, the boys’ spirit and discipline in all aspects were very good,” he told Bernama when met at Huamark Indoor Stadium.
“To be honest, I almost could not take some decisions of the referee. There were many poor decisions. It was very unfair to the players,” he added.
However, Chiew admitted there are many aspects the team needs to improve especially for the upcoming Hanoi SEA Games, next month. — Bernama
