YANGON: Defender Sharul Nazeem Zulpakar did not expect to be faulted by the referee who awarded Myanmar a penalty late in the game that almost denied Malaysia a win at the Thuwunna Stadium here last night.
However, thanks to goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed’s heroic deed in saving the spot kick by Myanmar’s substitute striker Myat Kaung Khant, the Malayan Tigers squad still walked away with three points from the opening Group B match of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup championship.
Referee Ahmad Faisal Mohammad Al Ali of Jordan had awarded the penalty kick after ruling that Sharul Nazeem’s hand had touched the ball, a decision disputed by the Selangor FC player.
“I did not expect the referee to award the penalty kick. Maybe from his position it looked like I handled the ball but I didn’t.
“I want to thank Syihan for pushing the ball away. I think there is still a lot I need to learn and there is room for improvement,“ he said when met after the match.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Syihan said he had no intention of imitating the style of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, whose outstanding performance in the Qatar 2022 World Cup final penalty shooout made him the hero of the world champions.
He said his reaction was unplanned as he was overjoyed to save a penalty and help Malaysia win the closely fought match.
“My style of celebration happened spontaneously because I was too happy with this win, which would surely be a catalyst for us to go further in this competition,“ he said.
Malaysia will next meet Laos at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Saturday, followed by Vietnam in Hanoi (Dec 27) and Singapore in Bukit Jalil (Jan 3).
Only the top two teams will proceed to the semi-finals. - Bernama
