Malaysia have a fair chance

MALAYSIA has a good chance to collect points against World No 1 Australia today, provided they play like they did against the South Koreans on Friday.
After a long time, the 1-1 draw against Asian champions South Korea brought out the refreshing side of the Malaysian team. There was urgency, commitment, and above all, the players looked like they genuinely wanted to beat the Koreans.
Australia are a diluted side as compared to when they beat Germany 2-1 to win the World Cup in New Delhi. The blooding exercise saw four new players making their international debut against Egypt, and only six in the Aussie side have more than 20 caps.
It is now or never, and coach Stephen van Huizen knows the score.
"I was not happy with the 3-3 draw against Pakistan, but the 1-1 draw against South Korea I can take with a smile," said Stephen.
And the reason?
"We came back from a goal down, and after levelling the score, my players held on tightly, especially in the last five minutes of the match, and this showed that they are on a learning curve," said Stephen.
And against Australia, he hopes the crowd in Ipoh will turn up in full force to support his charges.
"I had to use different srategies against Pakistan and South Korea as their playing styles varied. And against Australia, we will have to be more vigilant, as they are still formidable, even though it is a young side.
"And playing in front of a full gallery (the Azlan Shah Stadium can take 10,000 fans) would be nice as players do get motivated when the crowd is behind them," said Stephen.
Both the Malaysian matches to date have seen about 5,000 fans turning up each time, and it should be full house today as Malaysia has yet to lose in this tournament.
Australian assistant coach Graham Reid acknowledged that it would not be an easy match, especialy if there is a full stadium backing the local players.
"We have been playing regularly with Malaysia in friendlies and they have always been a difficult side to beat, and with the fans backing them, I expect another tough match," said Reid.
Reid commended Malaysia for hosting an excellent tournament where the accommodation and logistics were simply excellent, but don't expect the Aussies to repay their thanks on the pitch today.
Malaysia have a fight in their hands for sure, but it would not be uphill, as this Australian side can be beaten, with the right playing attitude.