U23 Malaysia coach cried and made a surprising statement when his team was eliminated.

(Dan Tri) - Coach Nafuzi Zain of the U23 Malaysia team shed tears after his team was eliminated from the group stage of the U23 Southeast Asian tournament. However, he also praised the whole team.

In the final match of Group A at the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, U23 Malaysia had a disappointing 0-0 draw with U23 Indonesia. With this result, the “Tigers” were eliminated from the tournament when they only ranked third in Group A with 4 points.

Coach Nafuzi Zain of Malaysia U23 shed tears right in front of reporters (Photo: FAM).

The early elimination of U23 Malaysia has angered the country’s fans. After the strong progress of the Malaysian national team, many people expected U23 Malaysia to make a similar breakthrough. However, they disappointed.

In the post-match press conference, Malaysia U23 coach Nafuzi Zain put his head on the table and shed tears in front of the media. He choked up and shared: “We had planned carefully before the match.

In the first half, the whole team played a tight defense and waited for the opportunity to counterattack. In the second half, we pushed up the formation with the hope of scoring the decisive goal. Unfortunately, the team's efforts did not bring the desired results. I am very sad that our team could not make it to the semi-finals of the tournament."

Despite admitting that he was heartbroken at being eliminated, coach Nafuzi Zain still praised the whole team: “It was not easy to play in front of tens of thousands of home fans. However, the whole team showed great courage and fighting spirit.

U23 Malaysia disappointed when they stopped at the group stage of the U23 Southeast Asian tournament (Photo: Bola).

The failure in this year's tournament is a valuable lesson for the whole team. This tournament is a good opportunity for the players to gain experience and train their physical strength. We will quickly get up and aim for the U23 Asian qualifiers. The failure will help the whole team become more mature."

Meanwhile, the New Straits Times (Malaysia) said that the development of youth football in Malaysia is on the verge of collapse. They said that in a few years, when the current generation of naturalized players retire, Malaysian football will reach a dead end without a replacement force.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-u23-malaysia-khoc-rung-ruc-tuyen-bo-bat-ngo-khi-doi-nha-bi-loai-20250722101101046.htm