Japan win 2-1, again...

MALAYSIA went down to Japan 2-1 again on the second friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
The national players played to the same script as the first friendly on Sunday, as they continued to play in patches.
Malaysia only showed some grit in the first 15 inutes of the match and there were plenty of action infront of the Japanese goalmouth before they took an early lead.
Izwan Firdaus scored in the fifth minute off a field effort, but that was the only good attempt in the first half.
Japan won the equaliser when Nabil Fiqri's rough tackle in the 25-yard area landed him a yellow card in the 18th minute, and Japan a penalty corner.
Katsuyoshi Nagasama flicked high into the net to beat goalkeeper S. Kumar for the equaliser.
During the breather, the Malaysain players also broke fast and when they returned to the pitch, the Japanese took total control of the match -- like they did in the first friendly.
And in the 56th minute, they won their fourth penalty corner and this time Toshiro Tachibana flicked high to beat goalkeeper Kumar to retake the lead, which also turned out to be the winner.
"I am not too worried with the results in theis series, as we are not only testing players but also their endurance during the fasting month," said national coach Tai Beng Hai.
Today is a break, while both teams will square off again on Wednesday at 6.10pm.