KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- Naturalised striker Paulo Josue has attributed Malaysia's 1-1 draw in the Tier 1 international friendly with Cape Verde last night to two factors: the long break before the match and the short training period.
He said it was tough for them to regain match fitness after a month without any competitive matches since the 2024/2025 Malaysia League season ended in late April.
To make matters worse, the Harimau Malaya players only had 10 days of training before taking on world number 72 Cape Verde at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras last night.
“I can say that it was very hard to play after 30 days without any games. We only trained for about 10 days (training camp) and then we had this tough match to play. But, thank God everything went okay,” he told reporters after the friendly.
In last night’s clash, Josue came on as a substitute to emerge as the team’s hero by scoring Malaysia’s equaliser in the 79th minute, cancelling out Cape Verde’s opener by Sidny Lopes Cabral in the eighth minute.
Despite fitness concerns, the 36-year-old Brazilian-born midfielder praised the team’s effort and tactical discipline, which enabled them to contain Cape Verde’s aggression.
“The team did very well. We managed to hold their aggressiveness and control the midfield. Playing five at the back, plus four in the middle, gave them some trouble in the first half.
“Then the tactical changes made by the coach in the second half created scoring opportunities. Overall, it was a great game for us to assess where we are at the moment,” he said.
Malaysia will face Cape Verde a second time in a friendly played behind closed doors at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (June 3).
The friendlies against Cape Verde are part of Malaysia's preparations for the crucial games against Vietnam in their second Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium on June 10.
Vietnam and Malaysia jointly top the group with three points each after winning their opening matches.
-- BERNAMA
