MALAYSIA lost one "life" against South Korea but still have another shot at making the final of the Olympic Qualifiers in Dublin, provided they beat Ireland today.The 3-2 defeat paved the way for South Korea to snatch the first final ticket, as they only have to beat Russia today to confirm a final appearance.
The second berth will be a toss between Ireland and Malaysia, and the Irish have the advantage of needing only a draw, while the national players must make sure of three points to play Korea again.
Ireland coach Paul Revington and assistant coach Arul Selvaraj are confident their players have the skills to beat Malaysia.
"It is unfortunate that it had to come to this (a toss between Ireland and Malaysia) as I will be planning to defeat the country of my birth.
"But it is my bread and butter to be professional and plot Malaysia's downfall on Saturday," said Arul, a former Malaysian international.
Arul was oozing with confidence, as the Irish feel this Malaysian side are weaker than the one that they beat 2-1 in the semi-finals of the 2009 Champions Challenge in Dublin.
"I noticed that the 2009 team were much more stronger but we sill beat them, so the confidence to beat them again is there," said Revington.
Malaysia started badly in all four matches, and only woke up in the second half of every match.
The Korea tie was no different, as the national players only started a fightback in the second half after being down 0-2.
And if this trend continues against the Irish today, Malaysia will be playing in the third-fourth placing match against Russia for sure.
