The Malaysia Experiment - Meeting the Tans

"The world belongs to those who persevere." - Nathaniel Branden

I've never been to Turkmenistan so this trip to Ashgabat will be an eye-opener for me. We were served plov during our first meal once we landed. I must say it was something that I never tasted but it was delicious!

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We headed to Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy adyndaky Olimpiýa Stadiony (Ashgabat Olympic Stadium) on a cold Friday night, which would likely to be accompanied by the fans frosty reception as well. We aren't exactly bitter rivals but I believe that they have a score to settle when we beat them last year. It's surprising to see them playing in a 4-3-3 formation instead of a 4-5-1 when we played them the last time. The hopes of their nation are placed upon Ruslan Mingazov (Slavia Prague), who won the man of the match award with a rating of 9.0 when we met in Kuala Lumpur! Iskandar Baseri (DR) is suspended so I'll be playing Muhd Syazwan Ismawi on the right of defense.

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We actually dominated the first half but Muhaimin Jamaludin (ST) just wasn't converting his chances. :/ I'll be looking to bring in Ibrahim Salleh (ST) to spark a change and hopefully bring some goals!

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We were made to wait till the 89th minute for our deservedly goal. Salleh chipped the ball to the unmarked Hafiz Azman (AMC) and he quickly fired his shot before the defense could react! We were delighted to nab this victory in the last minute! I would argue that we thoroughly deserved it and it was through sheer perseverance that resulted in the goal. Azman is back to form as well!

Now, we head back home to face Uzbekistan (36th). They are fresh from their 4-1 beating of Saudi Arabia (87th), who's turning out to be the whipping boys of this group.

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We've never played against them before so we really don't know what to expect. My scouts could only gather some information and we recognize that Oil Ahmedov (Galatasaray) would pose a threat from midfield. Despite being a defensive midfielder, his long shots are pretty dangerous so we have to keep an eye on him. Baseri is back at rightback after his suspension and I opted to play Muhd Fauzi Abdul Razak in front of the back four. To be honest, he's been a mainstay in my first year but last played for me in March 2018. It was only when he moved to Johor DT this year that he was playing at a high level again, so he returns to the national fold after 2 years of not being called up.

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Another match where we had the possession and the shots but we just couldn't convert. This time Luqman Hussain (AML) was performing poorly. Japan (42nd) is meanwhile leading 2-1 against Turkmenistan. Hopefully, we can bag a win here to keep up the pace with the Blue Samurai.

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Just look at that lackluster defense! Yusof Hashim (GK) shows no urgency to even commit to a dive! Abduqahhor Mamajonov (ML) lobbed a cross over to A'zam Toshmatov (ST). I have no idea why Abhishek Pannirselvam (DC) naively rushed over when Shakir Roslan (DC) and Baseri (DR) have got it covered. That left Narimon Turdialiev (ST) wide open and you just couldn't miss at that distance. I don't know what to say.

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In true Malaysian fashion, we left it late again. After constant attacks, we finally got our breakthrough in the 84th minute. Abdul Razak lobbed the ball to Rahim Osman (AML), who I subbed in for the poor Hussain. He sent the ball straight back to Abdul Razak who shot it into the top right corner! Jonimbek Tursunqulov (GK) stood no chance! We equalized at 1-1.

I told the boys we should have won the match but we're still in the race for qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Australia. We actually dominated the match but just failed to apply the finishing touch required. :/

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Here's how the table looks like after 4 matches. Japan sits atop on 10 points as we're 2 points behind, both of us remaining unbeaten so far. We won't be resting our laurels, not until we've secured qualification.

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Next, we face United Arab Emirates (69th) to finish the first half of the campaign. There's also a friendly against Qatar (64th) where I'll try out something new in my formation and tactics.

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The Malaysia Experiment - We're Halfway There?

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