João Pedro da Silva Freitas, Norio Tsukitate, Timor Leste, Tan Cheng Hoe, Farizal Marlias, Malaysia, 06062019Zulhilmi Zainal

Timor-Leste's plan against Malaysia? Keep it simple


BY        ZULHILMI ZAINAL       Follow on Twitter

Article continues below

Timor-Leste are cautious against their World Cup/Asian Cup qualifier first round play-off tie opponents Malaysia, and want to play simple football in the first leg encounter on Friday.

Head coach Norio Tsukitate is aware of Malaysia's capabilities, and wants his young charges to counter the hosts by playing simple football.

"I saw Malaysia playing against Nepal the other day, and saw that they were organised and had 90 per cent of the possession. It was a tough game for them, but they still got an easy win; [with goals] from a penalty and a free-kick. They're one of the best in Southeast Asia, while I have too many young players.

"For the first leg, it's simple; I want my players to run behind [the defence], pass the ball around and always try to score. And our defenders need to stop any attempts [to score by Malaysia]; that's all. [Sounds easy but] it's very difficult. It's very basic, but it's also very important. I'll only draw up the plan for the second leg after we've played the first match," explained the Japanese trainer. 

Both play-off encounters will be held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Timor-Leste are the home team of the second leg match on June 11, but it will still be played in Kuala Lumpur.

Follow Goal Malaysia's Instagram account to see photos and watch videos from Malaysian football!

Advertisement