Harimau Malaya signal their strong intent

Harimau Malaya signal their strong intent

Last night was a beautiful night for all Malaysians as we litereally tore Indonesia apart with 3 goals in 12 minutes in the second half.

The encounter at Bukit Jalil was a feisty one despite being marred by some idiotic acts by some section of people clad in black and yellow. The Bukit Jalil Stadium was jam-packed and provided the perfect atmosphere to cheer the Malaysian team to victory.

From the first whistle, Malaysia took the game by their strides a controlled the dynamics of the game. Kunalan and Amirul Hadi were a threat down the flanks and the combination of Nor Shahrul and Safee Sali was looking encouraging. They played some good football but were unable to find the breakthrough in the final third. Indonesia meanwhile did have their chances but they too squandered it when it mattered the most. The two Malaysian centre backs, Muslim and Fadhli did well by containing the Indonesian threat in the form of Christian Gonzales and did not give him much space to operate.

In the second half, the game was brought to an abrupt standstill as the Indonesian players left the field after being shone by lasers in their eyes. The game resumed after 8 minutes and the Malaysian players ran riot immediately. Indonesia had an opportunity to take the lead but after some good defending, Malaysia launched ahead. Nor Shahrul showed great determination and skill to get the ball back at the byline and advanced a little before placing a pass for Safee Sali whose shot gave Malaysia the lead in the 61st minute. Within 6 minutes, Malaysia scored again. This time through Ashaari. Once again it was Nor Shahrul with all the hardwork and provided an assist into the penalty box and the advancing Ashaari executed the shot with perfection to extend Malaysia's lead. That wasnt the end for Malaysia. There was another one to come and boy oh boy did it come fantastically. Kunalan did some good work down the flanks and gave the ball to Mahali and when he put in an astounding cross for Safee Sali, the latter couldnt have done better than what he did to give Malaysia a 3-0 lead.

Favourites Indonesia now have a considerable task ahead of them in the return leg at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday. It was an almost perfect day for Malaysian Football except that embarssing laser incident.

As a football fan, i hope we will not see those incidents being repeated in the 2nd leg and i have always belived in eliminating Hooliganism from Football. Lets just enjoy the occasion at Indonesia and for all Malaysians, lets pray that we hold on to our huge advantage and define history on that day.

Remember... Forget the past, Write the future