Gangsa di Sukan Asia 1974

Pada hari ini 15 September dalam tahun 1974, Isa Bakar menyumbat dua gol untuk memastikan kemenangan berpihak kepada Harimau Malaya dalam perlawanan penentuan pingat gangsa di temasya Sukan Asia Teheran 1974. Pasukan bola sepak negara berjaya mengalahkan Korea Utara 2-1.

Pasukan Malaysia yang baharu sahaja muncul juara Pestabola Merdeka melaporkan diri di Wisma FAM pada 11 Ogos dan dijadual berangkat ke Teheran pada 23 Ogos, tetapi mereka hanya berangkat empat hari kemudian kerana masalah teknikal pesawat.

“Syarikat penerbangan menempatkan kami di sebuah hotel terkemuka di ibu kota. Skuad negara seolah-olah berdepan kejutan budaya apabila dihidang juadah mewah. Di situ kami menikmati nasi, biskut, kek dan kuih-muih sehingga mencetuskan kemarahan jurulatih Jalil Che Din,” cerita pemain tengah Shukor Salleh yang dipetik dari buku Siri Legenda – Dato’ Shukor Salleh: Jeneral Padang. (Link ke buku di bawah)

Pada perlawanan pembukaan Malaysia tewas kepada Israel 3-8 dan kemudiannya seri 1-1 dengan Jepun. Pasukan kebangsaan berjaya ke pusingan kedua apabila berjaya membelasah Filipina 11-0.

Di pusingan kedua pula, pasukan negara tewas 0-1 kepada tuan rumah Iran, seri 0-0 dengan Iraq dan menundukkan Korea Selatan 3-1 untuk lolos ke perlawanan penentuan tempat ketiga.

Perlawanan dengan Korea Utara bermula dengan rentak yang perlahan di mana kedua-dua pasukan bermain seperti untuk seri. Tiada waktu untuk memanaskan badan sebelum perlawanan, ia mungkin memberi kesan kepada pemain. Perlawanan yang sepatutnya berlangsung pada jam 6 petang bermula pada pukul 6.10 kerana menunggu acara olahraga yang selesai 5 minit sebelumnya.

Seminit sebelum tamat separuh masa pertama, Shukor Salleh berjaya melepaskan diri di sebelah kiri padang dan berada di dalam kotak penalti dengan hanya berdepan dengan penjaga gol. Namun, baju Shukor ditarik oleh An Gil Wan dan menghalang beliau melepaskan sepakan. Sepakan penalti tidak diberikan oleh pengadil walaupun ramai hampir menyaksikan gol yang sudah pasti untuk Malaysia sebelum kekasan itu berlaku.

Insiden itu menyemarakkan semangat pemain-pemain Malaysia. Pada minit ketiga di separuh masa kedua, kombinasi dua pemain dari Pulau Pinang menghasilkan gol pertama perlawanan. Dari kawasan sendiri, Shukor Salleh membuat hantaran jauh mengatasi benteng pertahanan Korea Utara. Isa Bakar berjaya memecut meninggalkan dua pemain pertahahan Korea Utara sebelum merembat masuk bola ke dalam pintu gol.

Gol pendahuluan itu hanya bertahan 10 minit sebelum Kim Jong Min berjaya melepasi Hanafiah Ali dan mewaskan penjaga gol R. Arumugam dalam sudut yang sempit.

Walau bagaimanapun, Isa Bakar memberi kata terakhir dalam perlawanan. Isa dengan pantas mencuri bola dan menjaringkan gol setelah ia muntah daripada penjaga gol Le Chong Mun yang menampan sepakan kencang Mokhtar Dahari. Gol Isa yang dijaringkan sembilan minit sebelum tamat permainan memastikan kemenangan ke atas wakil Asia di Piala Dunia 1966. Pingat gangsa milik Malaysia sekali lagi, yang terakhir dimenangi di Sukan Asia Jakarta 1962.

Barisan pemain Malaysia dalam perlawanan menentang Korea Utara terdiri daripada:

R. Arumugam, Hanafiah Ali, Soh Chin Aun, P. Umaparam, M. Chandran, Shukor Salleh, Ali Bakar, Mohammad Bakar, (Wan Zawawi), Isa Bakar, Mokhtar Dahari dan Harun Jusoh.

Buku Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang sekarang di pasaran: https://legasilagenda.com/product/dss-jeneral-padang/

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Bronze at the 1974 Tehran Asian Games

On this day, September 15, in 1974, Isa Bakar scored two goals to ensure Harimau Malaya’s victory in the bronze medal match for the 1974 Tehran Asian Games. The national football team defeated North Korea 2 – 1.

The Malaysian team, who recently emerged as Merdeka Tournament champions, reported at Wisma FAM on August 11 and was scheduled to leave for Tehran on August 23. However, they departed a few days later due to technical problems on the aircraft.

“The airline placed us in an upscale hotel in the city. The national squad seemed to face a culture shock when we were served a feast. We got to enjoy rice, biscuits, cake and a variety of pastries that certainly angered our coach, Jalil Che Din,” Shukor Salleh shared in our Siri Legenda book, Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang. (Book is linked below)

In the opening match, Malaysia lost to Israel 3 – 8 and later drew 1 – 1 with Japan. The national team advanced to the second round when they thrashed the Philippines 11 – 0.

In the second round, Malaysia lost 0–1 to the hosts, Iran, drew with Iraq 0-0 and defeated South Korea 3–1 to advance to the third-place play-off.

The match with North Korea started off slowly, as if both teams were playing safe for a goalless draw. It could have been because both teams did not have time to warm up beforehand and this might have affected their performance. The match, which was supposed to take place at 6PM had a 10-minute delay due to an athletic event that finished only five minutes prior.

A minute before the first half ended, Shukor Salleh managed to escape to the left side of the field and was in the penalty box, confronted only by the goalkeeper. However, An Gil Wan started pulling on his shirt, which prevented him from firing a kick. Surprisingly, he was not awarded a penalty kick by the referee, although many spectators saw the incident.

The incident ignited the Malaysians’ spirit to push harder. In the third minute of the second half, two Penang players made a worthy combination by scoring the first goal of the match. From his area, Shukor Salleh kicked the ball all the way past the North Koreans’ defence line. Isa Bakar then managed to outrun two North Korean defenders before getting a clean shot into the goal.

Their lead lasted for only 10 minutes before Kim Jong Min took the ball past Hanafiah Ali to equalize the score, defeating goalkeeper R. Arumugam in a narrow corner.

Nevertheless, Isa Bakar had the last word as he quickly stole the ball back after it left goalkeeper Le Chong Mun’s hands, who blocked a powerful shot by Mokhtar Dahari. With only nine minutes left, Isa’s goal sealed the victory for the only Asian team that was at the 1966 World Cup. The bronze medal was Malaysia’s once more – previously won at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games.

Malaysia’s line-up against North Korea included:

R. Arumugam, Hanafiah Ali, Soh Chin Aun, P. Umaparam, M. Chandran, Shukor Salleh, Ali Bakar, Mohammad Bakar, (Wan Zawawi), Isa Bakar, Mokhtar Dahari and Harun Jusoh.

Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang available now: https://legasilagenda.com/product/dss-jeneral-padang/