Kuala Lumpur: Kim Pan-gon praised his players after Malaysia came from behind to snatch a dramatic 4-3 win against Kyrgyz Republic in Group D of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday.
Malaysia took the lead only to find themselves trailing 3-1, with the Harimau Malaya then sending their fans into raptures by clawing their way back with Faisal Halim scoring the winner in added time at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
The win was a confidence-booster for Malaysia who will meet Chinese Taipei next on Tuesday.
“We had a very good start and were very confident,” said head coach Kim. “We scored a goal, played well and controlled the match. However, we conceded two goals before half-time.”
“During the break, we told our players that we must be humble and respect the opponents. I like confidence but not overconfidence. I can help with the preparation… on the pitch they have to do the work.
“This is a good lesson for us. It was a difficult game and I didn’t like the way we played (in the first half). The players realised that and started to play well in the second half and it was a relief for me as we won.”
Krygyz Republic head coach Stefan Tarkovic was disappointed his team threw away a 3-1 lead.
“It was a challenging match, however, I’m very disappointed with this result,” said Tarkovic. “We scored three goals and created many opportunities to win but we conceded four goals. We got three goals but no points. So, this is very disappointing.
“The players’ spirits were quite good but mistakes in the defence led to our defeat. We failed to capitalise on opportunities and our quality in the penalty box was not good at all.”
Kyrgyz Republic will be aiming to bounce back when they face Oman on Tuesday while Malaysia travel to Chinese Taipei.
By Nadeem Faisal Baiga
