DOHA: Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon acknowledged that Jordan were the better team and deserved to win the match after his side fell 0-4 in the opening Group E fixture of the 2023 Asian Cup at the Al Janoub Stadium here tonight (Jan 16 in Malaysia).
Pan Gon said The Chivalrous Ones were stronger than expected and better than Malaysia in all aspects during the game.
The South Korean also apologised to all local football fans for failing to deliver the result they had hoped for.
“Congratulations to Jordan they showed good performance tonight and they deserved to win as they were physically and technically better than us.
“I’m sorry for Malaysian fans, we expected to give a strong challenge but couldn’t and I feel sorry for that. We need to recover quickly from this loss to face the remaining two games,” he said during a post-match press conference.
Commenting on his starting line-up which saw the team concede three goals in the first half, Pan Gon explained that the tactical decision was made to encourage the team to play more offensively rather than defensively.
“We were looking for an attacking approach tonight but Jordan were too strong, the first half was very tough and it’s difficult to say, we will review this game and correct things,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s head coach Hussein Ammouta said collecting three points in the first match was crucial, and he praised his players for their discipline and focus to get the job done.
“It was very important for us to start with a big win, since the first minute, we got into the match the right way and it was very important that we scored the second and third (goals) and kept the rhythm.
“We gained confidence with three goals in the first half, it was a great start and we are looking forward to the next match,” said the 54-year-old Moroccan.
Two goals each by Mahmoud Almardi and Mousa Altamari tonight (early morning Malaysian time) gave Jordan the perfect start to lead Group E and share the top spot with two-time champions South Korea.
Malaysia’s defeat also marked the worst result for the national team under the guidance of Pan Gon since he was appointed in January 2022.
Malaysia next face Bahrain at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium on Saturday before ending their group stage challenge against South Korea Jan 25. – Bernama