26 NOVEMBER 1977 – MALAYSIA 2 – 0 THAILAND
Hari ini kami mengimbas kembali kemenangan pingat emas pasukan bola sepak Malaysia di Sukan SEA 1977.
Malaysia merupakan tuan rumah edisi ke-9 temasya sukan itu. Edisi tersebut juga menandakan kali pertama Persekutuan Sukan SEAP menjemput negara Brunei, Indonesia dan Filipina untuk bertanding dan menyingkirkan “Peninsula” daripada nama mereka.
Dianjurkan pada 19-26 November, majlis pembukaan kejohanan menyaksikan dua Olimpian negara, iaitu pelari pecut Junaidah Aman dan pemain bola sepak Wong Choon Wah, sebagai pembawa obor kejohanan.
Dalam perjalanan mereka ke peringkat akhir, Harimau Malaya tewas di perlawanan pertama mereka kepada Indonesia (1-2) tetapi berjaya memenangi perlawanan kumpulan yang lain menentang Filipina (5-0), Brunei (7-0) sebelum perlawanan akhir menentang Burma (9-1).
Menunggu mereka di pentas akhir ialah Thailand, pemegang pingat emas Sukan SEAP 1975 setelah mengalahkan Malaysia 2-1. Namun, pasukan kebangsaan berjaya membalas dendam dengan menewaskan juara bertahan 2-0 di perlawanan akhir. Gol-gol Malaysia dijaringkan oleh Bakri Ibni dan Mokhtar Dahari pada minit ke-11 dan ke-68.
Kemenangan itu juga menamatkan kemarau 16 tahun bagi Malaysia selepas kali terakhir memenangi pingat emas bola sepak di Sukan SEAP Rangoon 1961.
Photo menunjukkan James Wong memapah Mokhtar Dahari (kanan) selepas jaringan gol kedua Malaysia di perlawanan akhir Sukan SEA 1977 serta pingat emas yang kini disimpan dalam arkib Legasi Lagenda.
(Sumber foto asal: The Star)
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Today we reflect back on the Malaysian football team’s gold medal win at the 1977 SEA Games.
Malaysia hosted the 9th edition of the event, which also marked the first time the SEAP Games Federation decided to invite neighbouring nations Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines into the fold and discard ‘Peninsula’ from the title.
Held from November 19 – 26, the opening ceremony saw two of the nation’s Olympians – sprinter Junaidah Aman and footballer Wong Choon Wah – as torch bearers.
On their way to the finals, Harimau Malaya lost their first match to Indonesia (1-2) but eventually won the rest of their matches against the Philippines (5-0), Brunei (7-0) and the semifinals against Myanmar (9-1).
Meeting them for the last battle was Thailand, who Malaysia lost the gold medal to at the 1975 SEAP Games. However, the national team managed to get their revenge after taking the defending champions 2-0 in the finals. Malaysia’s goals were scored by Bakri Ibni and Mokhtar Dahari in the 11th and 68th minute respectively.
The win also ended a 16-year drought for Malaysia after last winning the football gold medal at the 1961 Rangoon SEAP Games.
Photo shows James Wong helping Mokhtar Dahari up (right) after he scored the second goal in the final 1977 SEA Games match as well as the gold medal that is part of Legasi Lagenda’s archive.
