PETALING JAYA, Nov 15 — Harimau Malaya is hoping for a perfect start by winning against Kyrgyzstan in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers Group D opener at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow night.
The national team’s head coach, Kim Pan Gon, said Malaysia, ranked 137th in the world, will hunt for three points in every match in the qualifying campaign, including against The White Falcons, a higher-ranked team in the 97th spot.
The 54-year-old Korean said the three points in the first match were important in the team’s mission to create history and qualify for the third qualification round.
“We have six games, we do not know (maybe) against Oman we can make surprise, we do not know we may get six points against Taiwan; we are not sure but every single game we are looking for three points.
“We will try to get three points tomorrow if we achieve (it), we (will be) happy, and if we do not achieve, we have another five games left…tomorrow’s game is a crucial game for us, very important three points for us,” he told the pre-match press conference at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya today ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
Commenting further, Kim said his team’s objective is to pass the second qualification round and become one of the top 18 teams to qualify for the third round.
He added that some parties might laugh at the mission given Malaysia’s current position as the 24th-best team in Asia, but is optimistic that his charges would be able to succeed.
“We want to get into the top 18 stage (third round); that is our clear target, of course, it is a big challenge because we are ranked 137th in the world but have a dream to go into the top 18, others may be laughing, but for us, this is our dream.
“We really want to be among the top 18 to challenge top-quality teams in Asia; after that, we also want to make another dream,” Kim said.
If successful, it will be history for Malaysia in making their way to the World Cup after often being stranded in the second qualification round in previous attempts.
Meanwhile, defender Matthew Davies said the team’s chemistry has improved in the last five months, and all players are ready to fight for the top two slots in Group D.
“Now we get to know each other very well, spending a lot of time together and getting a good understanding for each other, we feel we have good momentum, so (we) hope to carry that forward into tomorrow’s match,” the 28-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim’s defender said.
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, the meeting record is in Kyrgyzstan’s favour after winning 1 – 0 in an international friendly in Melaka in 2018.
After Kyrgyzstan’s and an away match with Taiwan on November 21, Malaysia will play Oman twice, away on March 21 and at home on March 26 next year, followed by the away match against Kyrgyzstan (June 6) and finally at home against Taiwan (June 11) at Bukit Jalil.
— Bernama
