He said the Harimau Malaya team was leading twice against Thailand until the last ten minutes where they lost the game.
“So I think from that experience our players should be wiser when they play against the same team (Thailand) in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2014 final in Bangkok tomorrow,” he said.
“It seems that it doesn’t matter whether we play at home or away and perhaps there is more pressure playing at home,” he said, adding however that the team was lucky because all the players were out of any serious injury or match suspension.
Sudarsono agreed that veteran players like Muhammad Shukor Adan and Indra Putra Mahayuddin had played crucial role in Harimau Malaya’s win over Vietnam in the second leg of the semi-final in Hanoi last Thursday.
Malaysia qualified for the finals after beating Vietnam with an aggregate win of 5-4.
“I think the experience and the leadership of Shukor and Indra Putra have provided the penetrating run which we were lacking in the first leg of the semifinal against Vietnam,” he said.
Comparing Thailand and Vietnam, Sudarsono said based on observation Thailand was a better team in the region but in football many surprises could happen.
Sudarsono also called on all fans to show their highest sporting spirit like what Vietnam supporters had shown in Vietnam.
“The fans in Vietnam were excellent,” he added.
The second final leg between Malaysia and Thailand will be played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on December 20.
–BERNAMA
