Kelayakan Piala Asia 1976 & 1980
Sebelum Malaysia berjaya membuat penampilan sulung di kejohanan Piala Asia 1976, skuad kebangsaan berentap dalam Kumpulan 4 bersama tuan rumah Thailand, Korea Selatan, Indonesia dan Vietnam Selatan untuk saingan kelayakan.
Pasukan Malaysia bermula garang dalam perlawanan pertama dengan menundukkan Korea Selatan 2–1 melalui gol jaringan Isa Bakar (19’) dan Mokhtar Dahari (50’). Dalam perlawanan berikutnya, Isa Bakar menjadi hero pasukan apabila gol beliau memastikan Malaysia menang tipis 1–0 ke atas Thailand dua minit sebelum separuh masa.
Setelah seri 0-0 menentang Indonesia, pemain-pemain Malaysia berjuang berhabis-habisan untuk memastikan kemenangan ke atas Vietnam Selatan. Afandi Yusof menjaringkan gol pertama selepas 21 minit. Pada separuh masa kedua, Shukor Salleh dan Isa Bakar masing-masing menjaringkan gol pada minit ke-64 dan ke-77. Malaysia menang 3–0.
Malaysia akhirnya bertempat pertama dalam kumpulan 4 setelah tiga kemenangan dan satu perlawanan seri dan terus layak ke Piala Asia 1976 bersama pasukan Thailand.
Pada tahun 1979, Malaysia kembali untuk memastikan tempat mereka di Piala Asia 1980.
Terlebih dahulu, Malaysia bertemu Sri Lanka bagi penentuan kumpulan dan menang 3-1. Malaysia kemudian ditempatkan dalam Kumpulan 3A bersama Indonesia dan Korea Utara.
Dalam perlawanan dengan Indonesia, Malaysia mendahului 1-0 pada separuh masa pertama hasil sepakan Santokh Singh dari jarak 10 meter. Gol kedua dijaringkan oleh James Wong pada minit ke-51 manakala Bakri Ibni yang membuat larian dari tengah padang untuk menjaringkan gol ketiga empat minit kemudian. Walaupun kemenangan sudah dijangka milik Malaysia, Mokhtar Dahari meledak satu lagi gol pada minit ke-88. Keputusan akhir Malaysia 4 Indonesia 1.
Pada perlawanan seterusnya, pasukan kebangsaan menentang Korea Utara yang berkesudahan seri 1-1. Malaysia menjaringkan gol pada minit ke-60 menerusi ketua pasukan Soh Chin Ann. Bola yang disepakkan beliau terkena pemain pertahanan Korea Utara sebelum melencong ke dalam gawang.
Berdasarkan perbezaan gol, Malaysia sekali lagi menjuarai kumpulan mereka dan mara ke pusingan separuh akhir, di mana mereka bertemu Hong Kong. Setelah kedua-dua pasukan gagal menghasilkan gol, perlawanan ditentukan melalui sepakan penalti. Malaysia berjaya mencatat kemenangan 5-4. Gol penalti Malaysia dijaringkan oleh Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh, Bakri Ibni, James Wong dan Soh Chin Ann.
Pada perlawanan akhir, Malaysia bertemu Korea Utara sekali lagi. Ia terbukti sebagai perlawanan yang sukar buat kedua-dua pasukan. 10 minit sebelum wisel penamat dibunyikan, Korea Utara menjaringkan gol tunggal perlawanan. Walaupun tewas, Malaysia turut layak untuk bersaing di Piala Asia 1980 bersama Korea Utara.
Foto menunjukkan skuad kebangsaan Malaysia di Kelayakan Piala Asia 1976.
Barisan belakang: Hanafiah Ali, Wan Zawawi, Shukor Salleh, Harun Jusoh, Ali Bakar, Namat Abdullah
Barisan tengah: Soh Chin Ann, Mokhtar Dahari, Wong Choon Wah, Wong Kuw Fou, Jurulatih Hamzah, R. Arumugam, Afandi Yusof
Barisan depan: Mohd Shah Norbit, Mohamad Bakar, Santokh Singh, Isa Bakar, P. Umaparam, Wong Kam Fook
Barisan pemain Malaysia di Kelayakan Piala Asia 1980:
Mokhtar Dahari, James Wong, Bakri Ibni, Ramli Abdullah, Ho Hon Seong, Ramli Junit, Hassan Sani, Wan Jamak, Abdah Alif, Shukor Salleh, Wan Hassan, G. Torairaju, Hussein Mohd, Jamal Nasir, Yahaya Jusoh, Soh Chin Ann, Santokh Singh, Kamaruddin Mohd Nor, Hassan Yahya, R. Arumugam, Ong Yu Tiang, Hamid Ramli
#LegasiLagenda
#LegasiLegendaDikenangYangKiniDijulang
#SukanSatukanMalaysia
#MuziumSukanMalaysia
#muziumharimaumalaya
#harimaumalaya
#AsianCup2023
//
1976 & 1980 Asian Cup Qualification
Before Malaysia made their debut appearance at the 1976 Asian Cup, Malaysia was placed in Group 4 with Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, and South Vietnam in the qualification.
Malaysia started strong by defeating South Korea 2–1 through Isa Bakar (19’) and Mokhtar Dahari (50’). In their next match, Malaysia scored a narrow 1-0 victory over Thailand as Isa Bakar scored their sole goal two minutes before half-time.
After a 0-0 drawn match against Indonesia, Malaysia did not hold back in their last match against South Vietnam. Afandi Yusof scored the first goal 21 minutes into the match. In the second half, Shukor Salleh and Isa Bakar netted two more goals in the 64th and 77th minute respectively.
Their final result of 3 wins and 1 draw confidently put them on the top of Group 4’s standings and they officially qualified for the 1976 Asian Cup with Thailand.
Malaysia was back for another round at the 1980 Asian Cup Qualification.
Firstly, for group allocations, Malaysia met Sri Lanka and won 3–1. The national team was then placed into Group 3A with Indonesia and North Korea.
In their match with Indonesia, Malaysia led 1-0 at half time after Santokh Singh landed a shot from 10 metres out. James Wong scored their second goal in the 51st minute while Bakri Ibni charged with the ball from midfield and scored four minutes later. Although the win was certainly theirs, Mokhtar Dahari made one last goal in the 88th minute. Malaysia won 4–1.
Malaysia then met North Korea, which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Malaysia scored their goal in the 60th minute through team captain Soh Chin Ann, who kicked the ball that hit a North Korean defender before deflecting into the goal.
Based on goal average, Malaysia topped their group and advanced to the semi-finals, where they met Hong Kong. The match was decided by a penalty shootout after both teams failed to score. Malaysia went on to win 5–4 through Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh, Bakri Ibni, James Wong and Soh Chin Ann.
Malaysia met North Korea again in the final round. It was a tough match for both teams. 10 minutes before the final whistle blew, North Korea finally broke ground to score the sole goal of the match. Although Malaysia lost, both teams qualified to fight for the Cup.
