A super strike from midfielder Safiq Rahim gave Malaysia a heartwarming 1-0 win over the South Korean Olympic team in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The Selangor playmaker brought cheer to the 3,000 odd fans when he beat towering goalkeeper Lee Bum-soo from 25 metres out with a lethal shot in the 51st minute.

The Korean defence was caught by surprise when Safiq picked up a rebound from his own free kick before he breezed past two defenders and unleashed a low shot beyond the reach of Bum-soo.

It was an encouraging performance by K. Rajagopal’s boys, who are preparing for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November.

The Koreans are on a bigger mission to get into the 2012 London Olympics and they came here with mostly newcomers in their newly-formed Under-21 squad.

Malaysia put up a spirited display and Rajagopal hoped that the team would continue to show the same kind of commitment and consistency in international matches.

After SEA games gold medal performances, our U23 squad show that we are not too far behind. Hopefully this squad can maintain their good form in Asia Games. Although it is just against Korea newly formed squad that mostly U21, it is still a good result for us.

Let us hope that this squad won’t disappoint us in the next 3-4 years!

Final result;

MALAYSIA 1 YEMEN 0
( First half 0-0 )

Badrol Bakhtiar (55)

Baddrol Bakhtiar’s free kick in the 55th minute was enough for Malaysia to notch up their win in their first match in preparation for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November and the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup in December.

This match A win should count and lifting the world ranking of Malaysia in the FIFA world ranking. Malaysia are at 159th spot while Yemen are 105th.

Malaysia still gave a creditable display, hitting the woodwork twice through Terengganu striker Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin, making his international return after a two-year absence, and Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak.

Badrol Bakhtiar and Yemen player

Its hurt to see Manutd lost. We always got good result against Everton since 1995.  After leading with Berbatov’s goal, I think that Manutd will easily cruise for the rest of the match. But.. I am totally wrong. Everton level just 3 minutes after that and Rooney miss marks the end of Manutd last night.

Our second-half performance was very poor and I can’t complaint about the final result, 3-1.

However, when I turned to TV1. My mood change. Kelantan dominated but it’s Kedah Hijau Kuning ( Green Yellow ) who advanced to FA Cup quarter final in away goal rule. I never know that FAM already adapted Champions League rule in our FA cup matches. hehehe.

Kedah dumped last year’s finalists Kelantan out of the FA Cup after holding the Red Warriors to a 1-1 draw. Kedah will now take on Premier League side Armed Forces in the two-legged, last-0 eight tie. The Army side had it easy in their 3-0 victory over UiTM Pahang in Arau, Perlis to complete a lopsided 6-0 win on aggregate.

With that result..at least I have something to smile…isshhhhkk..

Pride is something that missing in Malaysian squad. We have quality young players but once they losing their pride by ages..then our football future is  gone!

As Malaysian footballer in international stage, being a loser is nothing to be shame off. They normally started their career as a loser and end their career as big fat loser. Everytime after losing in each match.. they just accept the result and go home. No need to give an excuse to the press because nobody care.

But.. losing to Vietnam is something that change Malaysian team in this year SEA Games. The good thing in that match – THEY FIGHT & SHOW THEIR RAGE after losing the match. Malaysian players already lose that PASSION long time ago but what happen against Vietnam bring the passion back.

Our own newspaper hit them hard for their behavior. They know that if they come back home early… they will get hit even harder. So.. they play hard to win…this is the missing jigsaw that we called PRIDE.

About the semi-final match against Laos…. there are nothing that shock me. Laos is not a good team and not even close to our squad quality. Got a favorable draw and be in the same group with Singapore and Indonesia. Indonesia never have a good U23 squad before and Singapore also only rely on import players for their national squad. For U23 squad….Singapore was nothing!!

2 goals from Baddrol Bakhtiar in 13th minute and 79th minutes and also the third goal by Safiq Rahim in 84th minutes proves Malaysia was too good for them. Another semi-final match that end up Vietnam thrashing Singapore 4-1 show how unbalance the grouping draw.

Although I don’t think that I have time to watch this Thursday final match against Vietnam but I hope they will continue playing with PRIDE and thinking about how sweet a revenge against Vietnam because it is the only way they can come back with GOLD medal after 20 years in waiting.

Although he is not a proven and successful manager yet but.. for sure..he can boost the players confident while facing big team in Asia.

Thailand are in talks with former England captain Bryan Robson with a view to hiring him as their new national team coach, the country’s football chief said on Thursday.

“We’re still in negotiation, but he is interested and we are interested,” Thai Football Association president Worawi Makudi told Reuters.

“It’s still at the first stage, but we are keen to bring Robson to Thailand,” he added.

If the deal goes ahead, Robson, 52, will replace fellow former England midfielder Peter Reid, whose contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier this week.

Thailand rejected Reid’s proposal to remain national team coach while serving as assistant manager at Premier League Stoke City, with whom he has been training with over the past few weeks.

Robson would be expected to continue Reid’s work in revamping the Thai game to steer the soccer-obsessed country to the 2014 World Cup finals.

During 13 years at Manchester United, Robson won two league titles, four FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. He was capped 90 times by England and played in three World Cups.

He has managed Middlesbrough, Bradford City, West Bromwich Albion and most recently, Sheffield United, whom he quit in February 2008.

We have to pay RM250,000 to Zimbabwe in order to bring their squad here and they just send their club team.

Luckily, it is Fifa-endorsed A-international match that might give positive impact in our FIFA ranking!

THE presence of a football clubside from Zimbabwe in Malaysia but trying to pass off as “The Warriors” has caused consternation in both countries.

The Zimbabwe national team are nicknamed “The Warriors” but Monomotapa United FC are now known as ”The Pretenders”.

This Fifa-endorsed A-international match between Malaysia and ‘Zimbabwe’ has serious implications especially for the Africans.

In a bizarre twist, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) claimed their Malaysian counterparts the FA of Malaysia were aware of the Zimbabweans sending last year’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Monomotapa United FC to Kuala Lumpur.

In a series of emails Mduduzi Mathuthu confirmed speaking to ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya who said: “The Malaysian FA was made aware that Zimbabwe was sending the local football champions.”

Mathuthu stressed Rodewell Dhlakama is not the Zimbabwean national coach and that the national team players are all in Zimbabwe.

“In fact, Monomotapa do not have any players in our starting lineup for the national team,” added Mathuthu.

Ironically, FAM had earlier rejected Liberia after finding out they were unable to send their national team. Zimbabwe sent Monomotapa United with FAM reportedly picking up the bill and paying an appearance fee.

“The whole episode is shameful. There are serious questions facing football authorities in Zimbabwe and Malaysia. If the FA of Malaysia cancelled Liberia because they were not bringing their first team, how then do they go and get a team lying ninth in the Zimbabwean league?” Mathuthu questioned.

FAM’s Datuk Azzudin Ahmad painted a different picture.

“As far as we are concerned it is the Zimbabwe national team. The acceptance letter even bore the letterhead of their national association (ZIFA),” added Azzudin.

Mailsportlearnt that Rushwaya, in both a letter and an email to FAM, confirmed that Zimbabwe would be sending their national team.

The misrepresentation has cost FAM a bomb. Flight tickets from Harare to Singapore for the team of 20 is estimated at about RM200,000. The bus ride from Singapore to KL is about RM1,200, thus making it RM2,400 for a return journey. The team stayed at a hotel. The stimulus room package sees a double occupancy room costing RM280 per night. That translates to RM11,200 for 10 rooms over four nights. So, this would have cost FAM about RM215,000.

FAM could have been awarded discounted prices for the above rates while it remains unclear if FAM are indeed paying an appearance fee to their guests.

Monomotapa United, nicknamed Monoz, could face sanctions when they return home. According to the NewZimbabwe.comreport ‘Monoz Malaysia trip controversy’ PSL secretary- general Kennedy Ndebele insisted the club’s trip was not approved.

Monomotapa were supposed to play Highway in a PSL match on Saturday.

“As far as we are concerned we didn’t allow Monomotapa not to fulfil their fixture against Highway at Sakubva…we only learnt in the newspapers that they travelled to Malaysia,” Ndebele said.- news by newzimbabwe.com

First, the spending power that shown how Liverpool & Rafa spend more than Manutd & Sir Alex.

Now….I realized another one thing. After the end of last season 2007/08, he said something on how to be champion this season. Yes! he managed to achieve what he want…but the question is….do Liverpool win the title???

Rafa Benitez: Beating Manchester United ‘key to success next season’
May 22 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

RAFAEL BENITEZ reckons that just one win against champions Manchester United would change Liverpool’s season next time around.

Such has been Liverpool’s poor recent record against the champions, that even co-owner Tom Hicks suggested after December’s home defeat that Liverpool did not look as if they believed they could beat their rivals.

It is certainly a matter of worry for fans and seeing United win their 17th league title – one short of Liverpool’s record – has heightened the concern.

Benitez accepts the problem and said: “If you beat Manchester United once it results in a six-point swing either way and that can be the difference.”

Liverpool finished 11 points behind the champions this season and Benitez wants his team to be hungrier next term.

Despite an end-of-season run that saw them lose just two of their 19 games, one of those defeats was a painful 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford in which Javier Mascherano was sent off.

GREAT!!

KEDAH re-ignited their hopes of reaching the AFC Cup quarter-finals by routing Vietnam’s Hanoi ACB 7-0 in a Group G match at the Darulaman Stadium yesterday.
Azrul Ahmad, a replacement for the suspended Khyril Muhymeen, blasted a hat-trick to give Kedah the overwhelming victory.

Kedah, a double treble champions, went on the offensive right from the whistle and came close to scoring on several occasions in the opening 10 minutes.

They found the breakthrough in the 13th minute when attacking midfielder Azrul opened accounts for Kedah from close range in the 13th minute.

Kedah increased their lead when Azrul turned in a cross from Faizal Abu Bakar in the 30th minute, in a match that attracted a full capacity crowd of 20,000.
Azrul turned provider three minutes later when his through ball was collected by Farizal Rozali, who guided it into goal.

In the second half, Kedah continued to dominate proceedings against the Vietnamese and registered their fourth goal through Mohd Afif Amiruddin in the 64th minute.

Sabri Abu scored Kedah’s fifth goal five minutes later before Azrul got his hat-trick when he converted a penalty in the 79th minute. Kedah struck the final blow in injury time through Shahrulnizam Mustapha.

Kedah and Hong Kong’s Eastern Athletic, who surprised group leaders Chonburi FC of Thailand 2-1 at home, are levelled on seven points but the former are second on goal difference.

Kedah need to beat Chonburi in their final group match on May 19 to qualify for the knock-out stage. Meanwhile, Johor FC suffered their fourth defeat in Group B of the competition when they lost 2-0 to V.B Sports of Maldives in Male.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal outlasted fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 today to reach the Australian Open final after the longest match in the tournament’s history.

The fans were riveted as the left-handed Davis Cup teammates went at each other for 5 hours and 14 minutes. There were no arguments, no gamesmanship, just great shots, with the momentum shifting on a handful of key points.

The previous longest match at Melbourne Park came in 1991, when Boris Becker needed 5 hours and 11 minutes to beat Italian Omar Camporese, with the fifth set going 14-12.

Nadal earned the right to try to keep second-ranked Roger Federer from tying Pete Sampras’ record of 14 major titles on Sunday. Federer advanced to his 18th Grand Slam final with a straight sets win over Andy Roddick yesterday

I am not really tennis fan but I follow the sport as well. In tennis I always prefer Federer to Nadal although my wife though that “Rafael” was a cool name instead of “Roger”. But last night match is truly magnificent..5 hours running and hitting is out of this world. Tennis is not like badminton…you must hit hard in every ball. I just wonder….why NO Malaysia football players has a gut and stamina like Nadal & Verdasco or as any world class tennis players. If we only have one player..maybe we can improve a lot….

National head coach B. Sathianathan said both teams might have their own tactical games but at the end, only the team which can last the pace for 90 minutes can win the match.

“And the fitness factor worries me because based on the fitness test conducted at the National Sports Institute (NSI) last week, only three of them passed while the others were just average,” he told reporters, here today.

He admitted that although his charges should be fit enough as all of them are fresh from the Malaysian league which kicked-off early January, most of the players did not reach the international fitness standard.

Malaysia 2 – 3 Vietnam

A fortuitous long-range goal by substitute Nguyen Vu Phong four minutes from time saw Vietnam edge Malaysia at the Surakul Stadium in Phuket tonight, boosting their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Indra Putra Mahayuddin appeared to have given the Malaysians a share of the points when he blasted home an indirect free-kick in the 85th minute.

But just moments later, Phong lofted a long ball from his own half that bounced over the head of Malaysian goalkeeper Helmi Eliza Elias for his second goal of the game.

Pham Thanh Luong opened the scoring for Vietnam after 16 minutes with an opportunistic strike, but Indra Putra netted a controversial equaliser four minutes later before Phong fired his side ahead in the 72nd minute.

Still the same team with the same old losers players such as Indra Putra, Hairuddin Omar, Hardi Jaafar & Shukor Adan. So..no wonder still the same result!…(plus stupid goal..)