Harimau Malaya Can Match The Toughest Opponents In Asian Cup - Daniel Ting

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Harimau Malaya defender Daniel Ting believes the squad has enough amunition in its arsenal to compete against the best teams in Asia during the 2023 Asian Cup competition in Doha, Qatar that kicks off on Jan 13.

Daniel’s confidence brews from the fact that the Harimau Malaya were able to hold Syria (ranked among the top 100 teams in the world) to a 2-2 draw in a friendly that was played yesterday.

The 32-year-old player said the result had certainly boosted the confidence of the team before facing Jordan in a Group E match on Jan 16.

“They (Syria-91st) are ranked higher than us (Malaysia-130th) but I think we showed that even though there's a big gap we can match that level and with that confidence we will be going into the game against Jordan.

“Eventhough it was a friendly, it was good for us to get some minutes in the legs and get us prepared for the first game to match the fitness and put to test the tactics that we've been working on,” he said in a video clip that was shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today.

The player who has an English-Malaysian parentage, said the selection of an identical squad for every tournament by coach Kim Pan Gon trully gives a positive impact to the team because it builds understanding and coordination among the players.

“It's (being in national team) considered the top players in the country, so of course the level is always going to be higher, and the training is intense, everyone wants to prove something. And again, it's the best players from each country, so of course the level is going to be up there, so it's a good test,” he said.

Malaysia who ended a 42-year wait to qualify for the Asia Cup on merit, are drawn in Group E, and will begin their campaign by playing Jordan on Jan 16 at the Al Janoub Stadium, followed by Bahrain on Jan 20 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and an encounter with two-time champions South Korea at the Al Janoub Stadium on Jan 25.

Only the champions and runners-up of each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the Round of 16, a stage the national team has failed to reach in their three previous appearances.

This marks Malaysia’s fourth participation in the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit in the 1976 edition in Iran and the 1980 edition in Kuwait, as well as hosting the tournament jointly in 2007.

More news and info about the 2023 Asian Cup, can be found via asiancup.bernama.com.

— BERNAMA