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By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif
KUALA TERENGGANU, June 19 (Bernama) -- World number 138 Malaysia are on a mission to extend their winning run when they entertain world number 159 Papua New Guinea in a Tier 1 international friendly at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus tomorrow.
A win over the visitors will be the Harimau Malaya squad’s fourth straight win in friendly matches, having defeated Turkmenistan 1-0, Hong Kong 2-0 in March as well trouncing the Solomon Islands 4-1 last week.
Malaysia have won three of their four matches against Papua New Guinea, with the Harimau Malaya winning 2-1 when they last met in 2016 - about five months after losing 2-0 to the same opponents.
However, many are now aware that Malaysia have moved to a higher level in every aspect, including in terms of their world ranking compared to the lowly position they occupied back in 2017.
Although Papua New Guinea managed to hold Singapore to a 2-2 draw in a friendly on Friday (June 16), national head coach Kim Pan Gon should not be too concerned.
This is because a depleted Malaysian side managed to trounce Singapore 4-1 in a group match of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup 2022 in January.
And now, having disposed of the Solomon Islands 4-1, South Korean Pan Gon is eyeing the possibility of an even bigger win.
His hunger for a bigger win is evident from the fact that he felt that his men could have scored more goals against the Solomon Islands and, in fact, he has warned his men to stay focused and not make too many mistakes against Papua New Guinea tomorrow.
This has put his players on high alert as they hope to do their best win a spot in Pan Gon’s squad for the 2023 Asian Cup Finals in Qatar next January.
Malaysia are likely to move up four spots to number 134 in the world ranking after their demolition of the Solomon Islands.
But, as in any sport, there is always an element of surprise and many big teams have fallen to so- called weaker teams.
As such, the Malaysian players should not underestimate the capability of Papua New Guinea, although the visitors have had a less-than-ideal preparation.
Papua New Guinea will surely be hoping to at least snatch a draw after enjoying some encouraging performances of late.
The team, nicknamed ‘Kapuls’, have notched two wins and two draws since they last suffered a defeat last November.
Overall, Malaysia should have no problems extending their excellent record against Papua New Guinea, especially if they execute the coach’s game plan accordingly and cut down on individual mistakes.
Tomorrow’s match also provides the players with the chance to get used to Pan Gon’s high-intensity style of play in preparation for facing higher-ranked teams in the future.
-- BERNAMA
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