DOHA, Jan 23 — Harimau Malaya midfielder Mohamed Syamer Kutty Abba wants his teammates to take their final Group E match of the 2023 Asian Cup against South Korea seriously despite being out of the running for a place in the last 16.
With the door to the knockout stages slammed shut after two defeats, he wants Malaysia to go into their final group match against two-time champions South Korea on Thursday (January 25) with one objective — salvage national pride.
And the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player has called on his national teammates to go into the match with a never-say-die attitude.
“Although many look at it (match against South Korea) as completing our group fixture, we will troop onto the field ready to run and fight for every ball. I always approach every match as if it’s my final game.
“So, I will give it my best because the country’s pride is at stake. So, there’s no such thing as completing the fixture, we will give it our everything against South Korea,” vowed the 27-year-old when met here.
Malaysia will take on South Korea at the Al Janoub Stadium here, which was where the Harimau Malaya suffered a 4-0 pasting by Jordan in their opening Group E match on Monday (January 15).
Coach Kim Pan Gon’s men then suffered a 1-0 loss to Bahrain in their second group match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Sunday.
Mohamed Syamer, who started against Bahrain before being replaced by Natxo Insa after the break, is grateful to have been selected for the Asian Cup despite his lack of game time following a series of injuries and described playing in Asia’s major football tournament as an invaluable experience.
“The Asian Cup level is very high. We admit that we still have a lot to learn and several more steps to take before we can reach the pinnacle. We look at the intensity and approach of the other teams here and they are so different to what we experienced before,” he said.
Mohamed Syamer still harbours hopes of continuing to play for the Harimau Malaya in the 2027 edition of the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia currently prop up the four-team Group E with no points, no goals scored and conceded five. Jordan top the group with four points, the same as South Korea who are second on goal difference, while Bahrain are third with three points. — Bernama
