It is every footballer’s dream to play in the World Cup.
Sadly Malaysia have never featured in football’s most prestigious tournament following poor qualifying campaigns in previous editions.
However, Malaysia are roaring like Tigers in the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers, and are currently sending strong signals to their rivals that this time, Harimau Malaya want to make a statement.
While many had written them off at the start, Tan Cheng Hoe’s side are surprisingly still in the race to advance to the final round of the World Cup qualifiers.
They recorded their third win in five matches by overcoming Indonesia 2-0 in a Group G match in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
Harimau Malaya are currently second in the group with nine points, behind leaders Vietnam (with 11 points), but are above regional giants Thailand (eight) and the United Arab Emirates (six).
As it stands, Malaysia are ranked third among the four-best ranked runners-up in the qualifies, and if it remains like this until the final round of group matches, Harimau Malaya will not only qualify for the final round of the World Cup qualifiers but also earn an automatic 2023 Asian Cup berth.
Cheng Hoe’s side will complete their group campaign next year against the UAE (March 26 — away), Vietnam (March 31 — home) and Thailand (June 9 — away).
The target is to gain favourable results in the remaining matches and qualify for the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers, which would signify progress for Malaysian football.
The eight group winners together with the four best runners-up will move into the next World Cup qualifying stage and also earn automatic Asian Cup berths.
On Tuesday, Malaysia overcame a poor start to beat Indonesia thanks to Safawi Rasid’s double in the 30th and 73rd minutes.
“We are feeling very positive. Let’s not talk about whether we can advance to the next round yet. The goal is to keep on improving after each match,” said Cheng Hoe on Tuesday.
“We have done well in the opening five matches but the mission is not over yet. If we look at the table, we have a chance but let’s not get too confident.
“The players need to have the self-belief that they can do it. Everyone has to aim high and dream big to finish at the top or at least occupy second position in the group.”
On his team’s performance on Tuesday, Cheng Hoe added: “It was a difficult match. Indonesia were fresh as they did not play last week while we had a match against Thailand.”
“Our players were sloppy at the start and allowed Indonesia to dictate the early exchanges. But we picked up the pieces as the game progressed and scored the goals.”
Some of the senior players will now join Ong Kim Swee’s Under-22 squad for the Philippines Sea Games while others will return to their respective states and enjoy a short break.