What did the U23 Malaysia coach say about the risk of his team being eliminated early?

Coach Nafuzi Zain of U23 Malaysia is still confident about his team's chances of advancing despite losing in the opening match against U23 Philippines.

Coach Nafuzi Zain of U23 Malaysia is still optimistic about his team's ability to advance - Photo: FAM

On the evening of July 15, U23 Malaysia lost 0-2 to U23 Philippines in the opening match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. Both goals of U23 Philippines were scored in the first half by player Otu Abang Banato.

Malaysia U23 head coach Nafuzi Zain said his team tried their best. However, being two goals down made it difficult for the team to recover.

"In terms of play, we played quite well. But the defense was distracted and that allowed the Philippines to attack quite easily. We tried to recover, played all out but it was very difficult when we were 2 goals down. We created a lot of chances but could not score," he said.

Despite controlling the ball up to 70%, Malaysia showed a lack of sharpness in attack and wasted a series of opportunities.

"In terms of play and statistics we were better, but we couldn't score and that was our problem.

However, I am proud of the players' spirit. In the next match against Brunei, we will review and fix the shortcomings in defense," he added.

Facing the risk of his team being eliminated from the group stage, strategist Nafuzi Zain is still completely optimistic and confident about the chance to continue. He believes that as long as they play well in the remaining two matches against Brunei and Indonesia, the door to the next round is still wide open.

Currently, Indonesia is leading Group A, the Philippines is ranked 2nd with the same 3 points (losing goal difference). Malaysia is ranked 3rd and Brunei is at the bottom of the table.

However, the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia tournament only selects the 3 group winners and 1 second-placed team with the best results to enter the semi-finals. Therefore, Malaysia's chances of advancing are still quite slim.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-u23-malaysia-noi-gi-truoc-nguy-co-doi-nha-bi-loai-som-20250716075618433.htm