Hari Perlawanan Piala Asia 2023 – Malaysia v Republik Korea

Kali terakhir Malaysia menumpaskan Korea Selatan

Kelayakan Piala Dunia FIFA 1986 terdiri daripada tiga pusingan: “round robin” diikuti dengan dua pusingan kalah mati. Malaysia, ditempatkan dalam Kumpulan 3A bersama Korea Selatan (kini Republik Korea) dan Nepal, menyahut cabaran untuk merebut tempat teratas bagi layak ke pusingan seterusnya. 

Perlawanan kumpulan pertama Malaysia adalah menentang Korea Selatan pada 10 Mac 1985. Ia akan menjadi kali terakhir Malaysia berjaya menewaskan musuh tradisi mereka. Sememangnya tidak sia-sia mereka bermain di tanah air sendiri. Salah seorang pemain termuda Malaysia ketika itu, Dollah Salleh, yang berumur 22 tahun, memberi keyakinan kepada pasukan dengan menjaringkan gol tunggal perlawanan pada minit ke-49. Peminat bola sepak di Stadium Merdeka bersorak dengan kegembiraan dan kebanggaan setelah menunggu detik untuk pasukan kebangsaan mengalahkan Korea Selatan.

Malaysia dijadualkan bertemu Korea Selatan sekali lagi pada 19 Mei di Seoul untuk perlawanan terakhir mereka pada pusingan pertama. Malaysia berada di tangga teratas dengan satu mata dan hanya harus seri untuk bertemu Indonesia pada pusingan yang seterusnya. Namun, pasukan kebangsaan menghadapi pelbagai cabaran dalam perjalanan mereka. 

Ketua jurulatih Frank Lord mengumumkan bahawa beliau berhasrat untuk meletakkan jawatan dengan menamatkan kontraknya tiga bulan lebih awal pada 1 April. Dengan hanya enam minggu lagi untuk bersiap sedia, Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) melantik Mohamad Bakar sebagai penggantinya. Jurulatih baharu ini bukannya asing dalam dunia bola sepak negara bersama Harimau Malaya. Beliau pernah menolong ketua jurulatih Karl Weigang membawa Harimau Malaya layak ke Sukan Olimpik Moscow 1980 setelah mewakili Malaysia pada awal 1970-an.

Sebelum latihan pusat bermula pada 7 Mei, pasukan kebangsaan dilanda dengan masalah kecederaan ke atas ramai pemain utama. Serbegeth Singh, Wong Hung Nung dan Ahmad Yusof mengalami kecederaan semasa perlawanan Piala Malaysia. Pada 6 Mei pula, R. Arumugam terlibat dalam kemalangan kereta ketika dalam perjalanan pulang dari Stadium Merdeka setelah selesai perlawanan suku akhir Piala Malaysia antara Selangor dan Pahang. 

Mohamad Bakar terpaksa mencari pemain gantain yang sesuai bagi latihan pusat. Akhirnya, pemain legenda Mokhtar Dahari dipanggil semula sejak kali terakhir beliau menyarung jersi Harimau Malaya pada 1981. 

Kini dengan pemain dan strategi permainan baharu, Malaysia menuju ke Seoul. Malangnya, harapan pasukan kebangsaan untuk layak ke Piala Dunia Mexico musnah selepas tewas 2–0 kepada tuan rumah. Satu-satunya kali Korea Selatan kalah kepada Malaysia di halaman sendiri adalah pada Kelayakan Sukan Olimpik 1972. Ia kekal sebagai kemenangan bersejarah bagi Malaysia, di mana penyerang Syed Ahmad menjaringkan gol tunggal untuk menumpaskan Korea Selatan 1–0. 

Sudah 35 tahun sejak pasukan Malaysia bertemu Korea Republik. Kali terakhir merupakan Kelayakan Piala Dunia 1989, di mana Malaysia kalah 3–0. 

Barisan pemain Malaysia (10 Mac): R. Arumugam, Lim Teong Kim, Yassin Mohd Noor, Serbegeth Singh, Ibrahim Saad, Ahmad Yusof, Wong Hung Nung, Nasir Yusof, Fadzil Ismail, Khan Hung Meng, Zainal Abidin Hassan, Dollah Salleh

Barisan pemain Malaysia (19 Mei): Ong Yu Tiang, Ibrahim Saad, Zaidi Mokhtar, Kamarulzaman Yusof, Lim Teong Kim, P. Dharmalingam, Khan Hung Meng, Yunus Alif, Nasir Yusof, Dollah Salleh, Mokhtar Dahari, Zainal Abidin Hassan.

(Kredit foto asal: Dunia Sukan)

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The last time Malaysia defeated South Korea

The 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification consisted of three rounds, a round robin followed by two knockout stages. Placed in Group 3A with South Korea (now the Republic of Korea) and Nepal, Malaysia were vying for top spot to qualify for the next round. 

Malaysia’s first match against South Korea on March 10, 1985 would be the last time they defeated their long-time rivals. Playing on home soil did not go to waste. Dollah Salleh, one of Malaysia’s youngest players at the time at 22, gave confidence to the team by scoring the only goal of the match in the 49th minute. Merdeka Stadium roared with pride as football fans have been waiting for their national team to defeat South Korea.

The national team was scheduled to meet South Korea again on May 19 for their last match of round one. Malaysia were up by one point and would only need a draw to meet Indonesia in the next round. However, the team faced many challenges on their way there. 

Head coach Frank Lord announced that he was seeking to end his contract three months early on April 1 and resigned from his position. With only six weeks left to prepare, FAM appointed Mohamad Bakar as his successor. The new coach was no stranger to Harimau Malaya, as he had previously assisted coach Karl Weigang in leading the team to qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games after representing Malaysia in the early 1970s. 

Before centralised training began on May 7, the national team were struck with numerous injuries. Serbegeth Singh, Wong Hung Nung and Ahmad Yusof were all recovering from injuries sustained during the Malaysia Cup. On May 6, R. Arumugam was involved in a car accident on his way back from Merdeka Stadium after the Malaysia Cup quarter-final match between Selangor and Pahang. 

Mohamad Bakar, now having to reshuffle his team, had to find suitable substitutes for central training. This included calling up the legendary Mokhtar Dahari who last played for Harimau Malaya in 1981. 

With new players and strategies in place, Malaysia headed to Seoul. Unfortunately their hopes of reaching the Mexico World Cup were shattered after losing to the hosts 2–0. The one and only time Malaysia defeated South Korea on their soil was during the 1972 Olympic Games Qualifiers. It remains a historic win for Malaysia whereby striker Syed Ahmad scored the sole goal to defeat South Korea 1–0.

It has been 35 years since Malaysia went up against the Republic of Korea. They last met at the 1989 World Cup Qualifiers, where Malaysia lost 3–0. 

Malaysia line-up (March 10): R. Arumugam, Lim Teong Kim, Yassin Mohd Noor, Serbegeth Singh, Ibrahim Saad, Ahmad Yusof, Wong Hung Nung, Nasir Yusof, Fadzil Ismail, Khan Hung Meng, Zainal Abidin Hassan, Dollah Salleh

Malaysia line-up (May 19): Ong Yu Tiang, Ibrahim Saad, Zaidi Mokhtar, Kamarulzaman Yusof, Lim Teong Kim, P. Dharmalingam, Khan Hung Meng, Yunus Alif, Nasir Yusof, Dollah Salleh, Mokhtar Dahari, Zainal Abidin Hassan.

(Original photo credit: Dunia Sukan)