Win the Merdeka Tournament for home fans, says Pan-gon

SUBANG JAYA: National coach Kim Pan-gon wants his boys to win and also entertain the fans in the final of the Merdeka Tournament.

Malaysia will take on Tajikistan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (Oct 17) as they look to retain the trophy. Malaysia had beated Myanmar 2-0 in the final when the tournament was last held in 2013.

The South Korean said the boys were motivated and had recovered from their 4-2 win against India in the opening round on Friday.

“We had two days to recover after the game against India, and I’m glad to say that all the players are fit to play against Tajikistan. We have collected some data on tactics and I’ve told the boys to ramp it up for the final,” said Pan-gon.

“The boys are motivated. The last time we played against Tajikistan was during the King’s Cup final (in Chiang Mai, Thailand September last year). We lost 0-3 to them in a penalty shootout after being held 0-0.

“This time, in front of our people, we want to beat them. We will play an entertaining game. We will show our aggressive side.”

Meanwhile, Tajikistan coach Petar Segrt declared that Malaysia were the favourite. He does not have several key players and believes playing at home will be an advantage for Malaysia.

“Malaysia are better in this home game. They have prepared for three weeks while we did in three days,” said the Croatian.

“I was sick, I couldn’t do much. I had to recover quickly because I wanted to be back with my boys. We are the underdogs.”