NATIONAL Under-23 (U-23) squad head coach Nafuzi Zain remains optimistic that Malaysia will recover from their opening defeat to secure a win against Brunei in the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship.
The match will take place at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta tomorrow.
Following a 0-2 loss to the Philippines in their first Group A game, Nafuzi said his team has moved on and is fully focused on securing three points to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
“The players are still in high morale and they regret the recent defeat but they promised to bounce back with a victory against Brunei,“ he said in a video shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Despite Brunei’s heavy 0-8 loss to Indonesia, Nafuzi warned against underestimating their opponents.
“It is true that Brunei lost by a big margin to Indonesia, but my focus is only on the team’s preparation. If we don’t play well even against a weak team, we will not be able to win,“ he added.
Malaysia currently sits third in Group A with no points, trailing Indonesia and the Philippines, who both have three points. Brunei is at the bottom of the table, also without any points. – Bernama
