KUALA LUMPUR: Head coach Shukor Adan described Malaysia’s 2-0 loss to Palestine as a bitter pill to swallow.
Shukor rued missed early opportunities that ultimately cost the national Under-16 side in their opening AFC Under-17 Asian Cup Group E qualifier at the KLFA Stadium on Sunday.
The former national footballer admitted that while his initial game plan successfully unsettled Palestine, a lack of composure in front of goal proved costly for the hosts.
“Overall, it is a very painful result for us to accept. We lost 2-0 to Palestine,” Shukor said.
“Our initial strategy was working well to break down Palestine’s structure, but when you cannot convert clear chances in front of goal, you end up getting punished. In the end, we were killed off by their two goals.”
Shukor refused to single out individuals as missed chances are part and parcel of football, but said his players should have made better use of their home advantage.
“I do not want to blame anyone because this is part and parcel of football. What disappoints both the players and the coaching staff is that, playing as the home team, we should have killed the match off early,” he said.
“If you look at the chances we created, they were crystal-clear opportunities to score before Palestine punished us from dead-ball situations.”
Shukor revealed that his side had specifically trained to neutralise Palestine’s physical advantage, only to be undone by the very threat they had worked to contain.
“We had already warned the players that Palestine’s squad is physically bigger and stronger, and that we had to avoid conceding set-pieces at all costs. Unfortunately, they took full advantage of those exact situations,” he said.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Shukor committed more players forward in search of an equaliser, but Palestine’s disciplined defensive block proved difficult to break down.
“I tried to overload the attack after noticing Palestine dropping back to protect their lead. We brought on fresh legs to inject attacking impetus, but we struggled to create much in the second half — perhaps only one or two half-chances.
“We knew their tactical discipline would be tough to penetrate, and though the players gave everything, we could not find a way through.”
Shukor said he would review the match footage before making any assessment, while urging his players to keep their heads up with qualification still within reach.
“I need to review the match footage first. It would be unfair to assess or single out individuals right now. Back at the hotel, the coaching staff will sit down, analyse the tape, and look at the adjustments required for our upcoming fixtures,” he said.
“I told the boys in the dressing room that qualification is far from impossible. There is still hope, but we have to move past what happened tonight. Their heads cannot drop.
“We must maintain our focus for the next game, the third game, and right up to the final fixture against India. We cannot predict how other games will turn out. My priority right now is lifting these young boys mentally. One defeat cannot define the entire campaign.”
Palestine took control when striker Yazan Khalifah broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, before Yousef Bustami struck in the 51st minute to seal the visitors’ win.
Malaysia, who have a bye in Wednesday’s round of fixtures, will have six days to regroup before facing arch-rivals and current group leaders Singapore at the same venue on Saturday.