KUALA LUMPUR: The 7-1 thrashing by Australia on Monday has left national Under-16 coach P. Somasumdram perplexed but he is confident his team will be prepared for the AFC Under-16 Championships India in September.
Malaysia needed to beat Australia to advance from Group A into the semi-finals of the AFF Championships in Phnom Penh.
The team did promisingly in the first half to hold Australia only to concede six goals after the breather.
Somasumdram said Australia were technically better than his team.
“They were well-built and were also very physical. My players could not compete with them. Some players were also still feeling the effects of food poisoning,” said Somasundram when contacted in Phnom Penh today.
The coach said his players need more exposure against top teams.
“We need to polish our tactical game and also work on fitness before the AFC Championship,” he said.
Somasumdram’s side will get plenty of match practice before the AFC Championship as several teams will be in Kuala Lumpur to prepare for the competition.
“We will play Saudi Arabia on Aug 9, North Korea (Aug 16 and Sept 5), UAE (Aug 27) and Uzbekistan (Aug 31), all in KL,” Somasundram added.
Malaysia have been drawn in Group C with South Korea, Oman and Iraq in the AFC Championship in India on Sept 15-Oct 2. The top four teams will qualify for the Under-17 World Cup next year, also in India.