KUALA LUMPUR: National football team head coach Pau Marti Vicente believes Malaysia deserved to win the 2024 Merdeka Tournament after their 1-0 victory over Lebanon in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tonight.
Expressing his satisfaction with the win, Vicente described the victory as a testament to his team’s hard work.
“My thoughts at the moment are (that) we are very happy, we think we deserve to win. It was a difficult game... I think the team worked very hard, all the players really worked hard, it’s a good day for celebration.
“I feel good. I think we have a very good staff and players, very good relationships all together, that’s important,” the Spaniard said at the post-match press conference.
In tonight’s match, naturalised striker Romel Morales scored the winning goal for the Harimau Malaya in the 33rd minute, thus helping Malaysia secure the Merdeka Tournament title for the 13th time, the first since winning it in 2013.
Vicente, though, felt that Malaysia could have added two more goals in the second half, despite struggling to maintain the same level of consistency as in the first half.
“First-half, it was very positive. We were up against a strong opponent, defensively very difficult to break down but still we controlled the game and luckily scored.
“In the second half, we struggled to keep the same gameplay, but we had some chances and could have scored one or two, maybe the feeling will be different,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic acknowledged that his team faced a tough match, with Malaysia’s opening goal making things more difficult for them.
He also noted that his team missed several chances.
“It was a very tough game (and just) as we expected. We started with some respect (to Malaysia) in the first 15 minutes and played well after that, especially in the second half but, unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a set piece.
“After that, it was difficult to organise our game and we made some chances but couldn’t finish them. So, I congratulate Malaysia for this victory,” he said.
