Pan-gon wants his boys to relive magical win over Kyrgyzstan at their backyard
PETALING JAYA: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Malaysia may not have a good record when it comes to playing away but national coach Kim Pan-gon wants his men to draw inspiration from their last meeting against Kyrgyzstan as the two teams clash in their penultimate 2026 World Cup-2027 Asian Cup Group D qualifying match in Bishkek tonight.

Malaysia, ranked 138th in the world, need to defy the odds and beat No. 100 Kyrgyzstan (match at 11pm Malaysian time) to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup alive after collecting six points from four matches.

Malaysia are third behind Kyrgyzstan and Oman, who have nine points, while Taiwan are at the bottom of the group with zero points.

Malaysia have only won three times from 22 matches since Pan-gon took over the reins at the beginning of 2022.

But despite the tough task in hand, the Korean coach is hoping his men can take inspiration from their last meeting when Harimau Malaya carved out a sensational come-from-behind 4-3 win over Kyrgyzstan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last November.

Malaysia also beat the odds to hold might South Korea to a 3-3 draw in the Asian Cup Finals last January.

Pan-gon, in the pre-match press conference yesterday, said the win reminded him of the positive aspects of the Malaysian team and he’s confident of getting a result if his men repeat their performance.

“When we faced Kyrgyzstan (then), we felt it was very tough, (but) we are a strong team. We started well, we gave a chance for Kyrgyzstan to be in the game but finally we turned out victorious. That memory makes us strong as we never give up in any situation.

“I think that game gave us a lot and in the Asian Cup when we played South Korea, we also scored the first goal and it became 3-1 but we came out again and drew 3-3.

“That kind of mentality is established with the Malaysian national team. I think that’s the strength we want to see tomorrow. We will fight until the end, we want to bring the win back to Malaysia. That, I think, will be the key point for us.

“Malaysia know this match is not easy. Playing away against Kyrgyzstan. However, all these obstacles will not stop Malaysia because the team’s fighting spirit and desire are very high.”

However, the national team will have their hands full as they are missing six key players due to injuries, including goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi and attackers Faisal Halim, Arif Aiman Hanapi and Darren Lok, who all featured in the 4-3 win over Kyrgyzstan.

“Away games are always very tough, very narrow to win, but tomorrow’s game is different; it’s a very decisive game. This is the first time Malaysia has a chance to qualify for the final. This kind of situation will make us stronger,” said Pan-gon.

“All the conditions and history never decide the outcome of matches. Our players and I have the passion to fight tomorrow. I don’t care about history; we are looking for a win.”
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PETALING JAYA: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.