Malaysia aims to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship

Malaysia, Vietnam's opponent in Group D of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup, aims to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup to compete for a ticket to the Olympics.

U23 Malaysia players celebrate their 2-1 victory over U23 India in a friendly match on March 22. Photo: FAM

According to the regulations, the top three teams of the U23 Asian tournament will directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The fourth-placed team will play a play-off with the fourth-placed team of the U23 African tournament to compete for the remaining spot.

"I believe Malaysia under the leadership of coach Juan Garrido can make history," Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Datuk Hamidin Amin told the New Straits Times.

In the past, Malaysia has participated in the AFC U23 Championship twice, with the best result reaching the quarterfinals in 2018. In 2022, the team stopped in the group stage with three losses, including a 0-2 defeat to Vietnam.

This time, FAM prepared the team more thoroughly with many international friendly matches. In March, Malaysia faced India twice and won 2-1 and drew 1-1 respectively. On April 1, the 26-player team arrived in Qatar, half a month earlier than the opening day, to adapt to the weather and then play two more friendly matches against the host team and China.

Coach Juan Garrido lost four key players due to injury: goalkeeper Rahadiazli Rahalim, defenders Azam Azmi and Ruventhiran, and midfielder Richard Chin. Of these, Azam Azmin is a difficult pillar to replace in the center of the defense, so the Spanish coach hopes others will try to fill the void. In addition, striker Arif Aiman Hanapi will also be unable to participate because his parent club Shimizu S-Pulse in J-League 2 will not release him.

The Malaysian squad also includes some notable names who have been called up to the national team, including defender Harith Haiqal, midfielder Mukhairi Ajmal, and Nooa Laine. Two other notable faces are striker Luqman Hakim, who plays in J-League 3 for Yokohama SCC, and midfielder Annil Vigneswaran, who plays in the German Third Division for Waldhof Mannheim.

Coach Juan Garrido of Malaysia U23. Photo: FAM

Mr Garrido also wants the players to cope with the difficulties ahead, including the hot weather in the Middle East and criticism from fans. "The coaching staff will protect the players, but they also need to solve the difficulties themselves," said the head coach of the U23 Malaysia team. "If they cannot do that, they cannot become professional players."

Malaysia will play their opening match against Uzbekistan on April 17, then Vietnam on April 20 and Kuwait on April 23. The current runners-up Uzbekistan are considered the strongest in the group and are certain to secure a place in the quarterfinals. The chances of winning the second ticket are divided equally among the three remaining teams.

The 2024 AFC U23 Championship will take place from April 15 to May 3. The 16 teams will be divided into four groups and play a round-robin format, with four winners and four runners-up advancing to the quarterfinals. Since its first edition in 2013, the tournament has produced five champions: Iraq, Japan, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

List of Malaysia U23 football team

Goalkeepers (3): Syahmi Adib Haikal (Selangor), Azim Al-Amin (Selangor), Sheikh Izhan (Penang)

Defenders (7): Harith Haiqal, Zikri Khalili, Muhammad Abu Khalil (Selangor), Safwan Mazlan (Terengganu), Faris Rifqi, Ubaidullah Shamsul (Terengganu II), Aiman Yusni (Perak)

Midfielders (11): Syahir Bashah, Mukhairi Ajmal, Nooa Laine, Aliff Izwan (Selangor), Saiful Jamaluddin (Sri Pahang), Umar Hakeem, Fergus Tierney (Johor Darul Ta'zim II), Aiman Afif (Kedah Darul Aman), Firdaus Fuad (Perak), Daryl Sham (Johor Darul Ta'zim), Annil Vigneswaran (Waldhof Mannheim)

Forwards (5): Thirumurugan Saravanan (Sri Pahang), Luqman Hakim (Yokohama SCC), Alif Ikmalrizal (Penang), Najmudin Akmal (Johor Darul Ta'zim II), Haqimi Azim (Kuala Lumpur City).

Hieu Luong

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