NATIONAL coach Dollah Salleh stood tall and proud on the touchline after his Malaysia Selection side held Liverpool 1-1 in a friendly at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
And if Norshahrul Idlan Talaha had scored in the second minute of stoppage time, Brendan Rodgers’s side would have returned to England with a red face.
Dollah must be relieved with the draw after having faced criticism for the recent poor run of his national team.
Malaysia, who had five foreigners in their team, played tight and relied on long balls to penetrate Liverpool’s defence.
Patrick ‘Ronaldinho’ Wleh tested Liverpool goalkeeper Adam Bogdan with a grounder in the seventh minute before making his second chance count six minutes later.
The Liberia international latched on a short pass from Chad Souza inside Liverpool’s box before muscling past a defender and picking his spot to beat keeper Bogdan for the unexpected lead.
However, Jordon Ibe cut in from the right and equalised for Liverpool with a stunning strike to beat Malaysia XI goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid in the 28th minute.
Khairul Azhan denied the visitors by blocking Dovock Origi’s powerful shot in the 42nd minute and James Milner’s effort three minutes later before half-time.
In the second half, Liverpool had more possession but they were frustrated by Malaysia’s stout defending. Keeper Khairul Azhan was also unbeatable making countless saves to deny the five-time Champions League winners.
Norshahrul gave Liverpool anxious moments with his darting runs and dazzling skills in attack but the striker’s efforts were wasted by poor finishing.