Tahukah Anda? Kali Pertama Harimau Malaya lawan Bahrain
Jadual skuad Harimau Malaya sangat padat dalam tahun 1977.
Bermain dari satu kejohanan ke satu kejohanan yang lain. Kelayakan Piala Dunia 1978, Piala Merdeka, Piala Raja Thai dan Sukan SEA Kuala Lumpur.
Diselitkan lagi dengan Piala Presiden Park Chung- Hee, Korea Selatan. Di kejohanan inilah pasukan bola sepak negara bertemu Bahrain buat pertama kali. Pada tanggal 8, September 1977.
Malaysia dan Bahrain berada dalam Kumpulan B bersama juara bertahan pasukan pilihan Brazil yang diwakili oleh skuad Sao Paulo B-21 dan pasukan kedua tuan rumah, Korea Selatan B.
Dua perlawanan kumpulan yang terakhir, Brazil-Korea Selatan B dan Malaysia-Bahrain adalah penting untuk menentukan siapa yang akan layak bersama Brazil ke peringkat separuh akhir.
Pada dua perlawanan awal, pasukan negara telah seri dengan Korea Selatan B 1-1 dan kalah kepada Brazil 1-3. Bahrain pula setakat itu telah kalah dengan Brazil 0-4 dan seri 1-1 dengan Korea Selatan B.
Permainan Malaysia-Bahrain berlangsung dalam cuaca hujan lebat. Malaysia mendapat dua gol awal dalam tempoh dua minit.
Pemain pertahanan, Santokh Singh, berjaya menyumbat gol pertama menerusi sepakan percuma di luar kotak penalti pada minit ke-empat perlawanan. Dua minit kemudiannya pemain lincah, Yip Chee Keong, berjaya mengelecek dua pemain pertahanan Bahrain sebelum melepaskan tendangan untuk menjaringkan gol kedua. Bahrain berjaya membalas satu gol di separuh masa kedua pada minit 62 menerusi Khalil Shuwaer.
Gol hasil jaringan Hassan Sani pada minit-minit terakhir perlawanan menjamin tempat skuad negara ke peringkat separuh akhir. Beliau menjaring gol penting ini melalui rembatan kencang dari jarak 18 meter menewaskan penjaga gol Michel Alkhajam. Malaysia 3 Bahrain 1.
Manakala Korea Selatan B pula terikat 1-1 dengan Brazil. Malaysia seterusnya layak ke separuh akhir dengan kelebihan jaringan gol, Malaysia 5 gol berbanding 3 bagi Korea Selatan B. Walaubagaimanapun misi Malaysia terkandas di separuh akhir apabila tewas 0-3 kepada skuad utama Korea Selatan.
Dalam persediaan untuk perlawanan kelayakan Piala Dunia 2022 / Piala Asia 2023 skuad Harimau Malaya telah memilih Bahrain sebagai lawan dalam Perlawanan Persahabatan Antarabangsa Tier 1 di Stadium Nasional Bahrain, Riffa pada 28 Mei 2021.
Selepas itu Malaysia akan berentap dengan UAE (3 Jun), Vietnam (11 Jun) dan Thailand (15 Jun).
Selamat maju jaya kita ucapkan kepada jurulatih Tan Cheng Hoe dan anak didiknya.
(kredit foto: Dunia Sukan)
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DID YOU KNOW?
Malaysia v. Bahrain – Their First Match
1977 was a busy year for Harimau Malaya. They had a packed schedule, playing from one tournament to the next, including the 1978 World Cup, Thai King’s Cup and KL SEA Games.
In the midst of all, there was the President Park Chung Hee Cup that was held in South Korea. This was where Harimau Malaya met Bahrain for the first time, on September 8, 1977.
Malaysia and Bahrain were both in Group B with defending champions Brazil, who was represented by their U-21 Sao Paulo team, as well as the host’s team South Korea B.
The last two matches, Brazil v. South Korea B and Malaysia v. Bahrain, were significant as they decided which team would qualify for the semi-finals alongside Brazil.
In the first two games, our national team drew with South Korea B 1 – 1 and lost to Brazil 1 – 3. Bahrain had also lost to Brazil 0 – 4 and drew with South Korea B 1 -1.
The Malaysia – Bahrain match took place in heavy rain. Nevertheless, Malaysia scored two early goals within two minutes.
Defender Santokh Singh scored the first goal following a free kick outside the penalty box in the 4th minute. Two minutes later, the slick Yip Chee Keong managed to speed through two of Bahrain’s defenders to score the second goal. During the second half, Khalil Shuwaer scored a goal for Bahrain in the 62nd minute.
Hassan Sani’s goal in the final minutes of the match secured the national team’s place in the semi-finals. He scored the crucial goal through a long shot from 18 meters away, overpowering goalkeeper Michel Alkhajam. Malaysia – 3, Bahrain – 1.
Meanwhile, South Korea B drew 1 – 1 with Brazil. Malaysia went on to qualify for the semi-finals despite having the same aggregate score as they scored more goals with 5, while South Korea B had 3. However, Malaysia met their downfall after losing 0 – 3 to South Korea’s main squad.
In preparation for the 2022 World Cup / 2023 Asian Cup, Harimau Malaya have chosen to play against Bahrain in a Tier 1 International Friendly match at Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa on May 28, 2021.
Malaysia will then go on to face UAE in Dubai (June 3), Vietnam (June 11) and Thailand (June 15).
We wish Coach Tan Cheng Hoe and his players all the best!
(Image shows three goal scorers of Harimau Malaya v. Bahrain: Yip Chee Keong, Hassan Sani, and Santokh Singh)
(Photo credit: Dunia Sukan)
