The Malaysia Experiment - SEA Championship 2020 | Group A

"Never compete with someone
who has nothing to lose." - Baltasar Gracian

2 matches in and we find ourselves sitting atop of Group A in the SEA Championship 2020 aka Suzuki Cup. Next up, we face Philippines (98th) in Manila.

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We'll be playing 4-1-4-1 DM Asymmetric AM (L) formation for the rest of the tournament; this time with Amuhum Gurusamy Govandar (MC) coming in for Ibrahim Ismail (MC), as well as Mohd Zulkifli Mazlan replacing Abhishek Pannirselvam in the center of defense. Philippines played a 4-4-2 formation against Indonesia in their last match (lost 1-3), but have changed to a 4-3-3 formation against us at home. Let's see if I can keep the strikers at bay.

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We were on the attack right from the start, with Jasni Abidin (ST) missing wide-open shots twice! In the 27th minute, we finally got the goal that we worked hard for. This time Abidin crossed the ball to Luqman Hussain (AML), who headed it towards to Christian Barsales (GK). The goalkeeper couldn't make a clean catch and Benjamin Ibrahim (MR) was quickest to react, and gently taps it into the goal. His first international goal, on his 19th cap! It took quite a while, and hopefully not another 19 caps till his next goal.

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Our dominance was telling and you can see it on the stat sheet as well. We've had 5 shots on goal compared to their 0. I told the boys to score one more goal, secure the win and continue our run of 2-0 victories!

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In the 63rd minute, Yusof Hashim (GK) sent a long ball upfield, and it reached Ibrahim who was three quarters up the pitch. He dribbles past Stephan Palla (DL) and sends in a pass to Abidin. He quickly fires a shot before Salvador Villanueva (DC) closed him down and he finally scores! That was quite a goal! I'm happy for him as he's making a shout for the first-choice striker; as well as showing clubs that are interested (Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham, Paris Saint-German) in him what he can do.

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I made my substitutions, saving some tired legs for the next match against Indonesia (112nd) and I thought we were done for the night. Who would have known that a harmless Hussain cross from the byline could cause havoc for the Philippines defense? Elvin Fermin (ST), who shouldn't be there in the first place, was in the way of his goalkeeper. What could have been an easy collect ended up with an own goal.

3 goals, 3 points, and we advance into the semifinals of SEA Championship 2020 aka Suzuki Cup! 1 more match but it would bear no meaning for us but a win for Indonesia means they have a good chance of advancing to the semifinals as well!

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Next up, Indonesia in their 4-4-2 lineup. Their midfield is pretty strong and they just recovered from the opening loss with a 3-1 win against the Philippines. I'm keeping Abidin in to keep Ibrahim Salleh (ST) fresh for the semifinal match.

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We kicked the ball off and passed it around in our own half. Mohd Fauzi Abdul Razak (MC) then spotted Abidin making a run for it. He sent a long ball and Abidin initially got to it but Hansamu Yama (DC) made a sliding tackle and got the ball off Abidin. Somehow the ball reached Ibrahim and he raced towards the goal line. He chipped the ball in and Abidin made a thumping header. Kurnia Meiga (GK) fluffed his lines when first called upon and we were leading within the first minute!

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5 minutes later, we were awarded a freekick and Gurusamy Govandar was fell by Dedik Setiawan (ST) in the penalty box. When will these strikers ever learn? Hussain places the ball on the spot and aims for the middle again. Meiga didn't fall for it but the sheer power from the shot forced the ball to go in even when the goalkeeper got to it.

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We were not done with business before the first half was over as Iskandar Baseri (DR) sent in a pinpoint cross to Abdul Razak (MC) and he scores with an acrobatic header. We were in dreamland! 3 goals up within 30 minutes!

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The spirits were high in the dressing room during halftime. I sent the boys out without any extra instructions. Just go out and have fun! A few minutes after the restart, Gonzalo Gnanalingam (DMC) deliver the final blow with a stunning freekick. The Indonesian players had their head in their head while the ball and goalkeeper were still in midair! Hahaha!

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They did attempt a comeback when Setiawan beat the offside trap when Pannierselvam was caught napping. There goes our record of not conceding in the group stages but I was fine with it as long as we secure the win. We've already advanced to the semifinals anyway.

Somehow my game fails to upload anything more than the first goal. I'll try to figure it out, but in the meantime, I'll still upload the highlights. :) Next, we've got a 2-legged semifinal against Brunei (117th). They've also been scoring goals at will (11 goals), with Mohd Yusri Sahuili (ST) scoring 6 in 4 appearances. Ibrahim has been our best performer so far, with 12 key passes and 7.75 dribbles per match, winning 2 man of the match awards with an average rating of 8.30! I'll be looking forward to an epic clash against our neighbor that's flushed with oil money.

If you enjoyed this entry,
you can follow the story by clicking the link below:
The Malaysia Experiment - SEA Championship 2020 | Semifinal

If you missed out on any of my previous entries,
you can check them out below:

The Malaysia Experiment - SEA Championship 2020 | Group A | Part 2