National coach says all is not lost despite defeat to Oman
PETALING JAYA: Disappointment, anger and worry are some of the words to describe the vibes in the Harimau Malaya dressing room.

The usually animated Malaysian coach Kim Pan-gon cut a forlorn figure on the touchline after his Malaysian charges were beaten 0-2 by Oman in the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifier at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.

Oman’s goals were scored by Omar Al-Malki (45th minute) and Mubarak Al-Ghafri (96th) as they won their third game in Group D while Malaysia suffered their second straight defeat against the West Asian nation.

Though one would say that the scoreline is respectable as Malaysia are ranked 132nd in the world while Oman are 80th, Pan-gon’s side looked devoid of ideas and struggled with the pace of the game.

Some questioned his tactics but he was defiant saying that it needed to be done to get a win and no blame should fall on the players.

“In football, after the game, you can talk 100 things, you can hit me. You do not know how we work in football, how players work too, you do not know. This home game, I wanted to hit them,” said the emotional Pan-gon.

“We were prepared to play good football in front of our fans. I didn’t want us to lose our identity.

“I was the one who took the risk with my formation changes. We wanted to make everyone proud but sometimes what we planned or designed do not happen.”

He continued to stamp the point that the lack of match fitness, with the Super League only beginning in May, was the reason for the team not being able to get results in the qualifiers.

“Players can make mistakes because of the circumstances we put them in.

“How many months have they not had a game? They are not gods or machines.

“I’m in pain,” pointing at his heart. We forced them into this situation. We created this circumstances for these players. Imagine no games before an important clash.

“But it’s best if we look forward. I can talk about a lot of things but I want to protect my players.”

Not only did Malaysia suffer defeat but also lost rightback Azam Azmi Murad to a long-term injury after he landed awkwardly while making a challenge.

The injury sees Azam, who is also one of the key players for the Malaysia Under-23 squad, missing out on the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar, next month.

“Azam’s injury is serious. It looks like he won’t play in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup. I feel sad,” said Pan-gon.

When asked if the poor pitch condition caused the injury, Pan-gon said he didn’t want to comment on it.

“I can talk but I do not want to. I can talk a lot but it’s difficult to change. FAM are doing a lot and the clubs have helped too but some factors could have been done better.”

In June, Malaysia will complete their second-round qualifiers campaign by taking on Kyrgyzstan (June 6) in Bishkek and Taiwan (June 11) in Kuala Lumpur.

“The best idea is to win both the games. That’s what we want. We shouldn’t give up on each other. Let’s fight till the end. This is not the end of the world.

“But right now, we will take some time for ourselves and plan for the next two fixtures later. Even I am not a machine, I need to take some rest.

“My players need some rest too. Too much happened after the game. Players almost cried. We have passion, so we want to move forward but we need a break.”
Football,Malaysia,World Cup 2026 qualifiers,Kim Pan-gon
PETALING JAYA: Disap­point­ment, anger and worry are some of the words to describe the vibes in the Harimau Malaya dressing room.