PETALING JAYA: Coach Datuk K. Rajagopal said Malaysia will not give up in their quest to qualify for the Asian Cup Finals despite losing 1-0 to Bahrain in their Group D qualifying match at the National Stadium in Manama on Friday. The Malaysians now only have a mathematical chance of making it to the 2015 Finals in Australia. Bahrain are through to the quadrennial tournament after collecting 10 points from four matches. Qatar, who outplayed winless Yemen 4-1, are second on nine points while Malaysia are in third spot with only four points. Malaysia’s chances of finishing as the best-third placed team for the Finals also suffered a dent with the defeat. They are now ranked third among the best third-placed team behind Lebanon and Syria. Lebanon are in the driver’s seat with five points in Group B, while Syria, with four points in Group A, are second ahead of Malaysia with a better goal difference. Malaysia must now beat Qatar at the Shah Alam Stadium on Tuesday and Yemen away in March next year to keep their hopes alive. On Friday, Bahrain striker Ismaeel Abdulatif capitalised on a mistake by Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak in the 72nd minute to grab the winner. Rajagopal defended his players, saying there was no shame in defeat. “We have to remain positive as we still have two more matches to do well. We have to take things positively and do our best with the chances we still have,” said Rajagopal in the post match press conference. “We have nothing to be ashamed of in this loss ... we showed a lot of energy. Defensively, we did well in the first half and we did not give Bahrain any opportunities close on goal. “In the second half, we responded and played better. We had some chances but unfortunately we didn’t score and we gave away a goal due to a lapse in concentration,” added Rajagopal.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 02:38:17 +0000
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