Prowling Tigers, roaring fans: Malaysia's '12th man' aims to lift team to AFF Suzuki Cup success
KUALA LUMPUR: Braving the bumper-to-bumper traffic, they arrived in droves. As a torrential thunderstorm raged overhead, a sea of yellow flooded the Bukit Jalil Stadium, filling the stands, the seats, and almost every crevice of the cavernous arena.
And the game wasn’t even starting for another couple of hours.
“Honestly, I was worried by the shouting and loud noise by the more than 80,000 people in the stadium,” mused Vietnam head coach Park Hang-seo after his side’s 2-2 draw with Malaysia in the first leg of the Suzuki Cup finals on Tuesday (Dec 11). “How much more worried and afraid do you think my players were?”
A team with a blend of old heads and promising youngsters, Malaysia’s fairytale run to the finals of the regional footballing showpiece has surprised some observers.
Backed by vociferous fan support, the
Harimau Malaya have taken scalps along the way, demolishing Myanmar 3-0 in the group stages, and upsetting defending champions Thailand in the semi-finals.
Come Saturday (Dec 15) in Hanoi, Malaysia hope to seal what will be their second title in the tournament’s history.
“You can see that the players had great motivation to play in front of a home crowd,” said Malaysian head coach Tan Cheng Hoe. “Of course, away from home we don’t have such a crowd, but I definitely know the players can handle and absorb it well and I think we can still upset (the odds) in Hanoi.”
Barely out of his teens when the last Malaysian side lifted the Suzuki Cup, 21-year-old Syamer Kutty Abba has his own shot at history this time around.
The Johor Darul Ta'zim youngster impressed in the heat of battle against Vietnam, laying on an assist as Malaysia came from two goals down to snatch a credible draw.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/malaysian-football-fans-suzuki-cup-final-11031654
