BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
The Malayan Tigers had to wait until the second half to overcome hosts Sri Lanka in their Friday friendly, thanks to timely substitutions by head coach Tan Cheng Hoe.
Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam - 6/10
The custodian did not do much wrong throughout the match, but should have done better to keep out Sri Lanka's 29th minute attempt that would end up in the back of the net.
Matthew Davies - 7/10
The right back did not shine in the encounter but did not flounder either, and did well enough to force Malaysia's leveller in the second half; his cross from the right was palmed by the hosts ' goalkeeper into the path of Norshahrul, who did not miss from close range.
Irfan Zakaria - 6/10
The centre back did well enough, but the one time he fell asleep, the hosts ended up with the lead.
Adam Nor Azlin - 7/10
The centre back should have done better to stop Sri Lanka from taking the lead, but redeemed himself by scoring Malaysia's second goal, in the 76th minute.
Fazly Mazlan - 6/10
The left back failed to contribute significantly to the Tigers in the encounter, but did enough to help Malaysia avoid conceding more than one goal.
Mahalli Jasuli - 6/10
The winger was played out of position in midfield , and to no one's surprise underperformed. He was ubstituted off at the start of the start of the second half
Syamer Kutty Abba - 7/10
The young midfielder played the whole 90 minutes, did not shine as he had with Malaysia U-23, but performed well enough to help Malaysia gain the lion's share of the possession.
Shahrel Fikri Fauzi - 6/10
Despite starring for Malaysia in their last friendly match, against Cambodia, the sole foreign-based squad member failed to impress in the first half, and the right winger was substituted off for debutante Sumareh at the start of the second half.
Norshahrul Idlan Talaha - 7/10
The forward should have done better with the amount of possession that the visitors had, but was unable to threaten the opponents' defence. He was however did enough to bag a goal; with his 65th minute strike levelling the score for the Tigers, his first international goal since December 2014.
Syazwan Zainon - 6/10
The left wing could not help Harimau Malaya threaten the hosts in the 64 minutes he was on the pitch, and was replaced by his Kedah teammate Akhyar Rashid.
Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak - 5/10
The forward last scored in Malaysia's 7-0 win over Bhutan in April, a match in which he bagged four goals. Since then, he has turned up in three matches for the Tigers including in Friday's encounter. Against Sri Lanka he again disappointed and misfired, despite playing the full 90 minutes. He failed to combine well with the other three forwards, while ultimately failing to threaten the hosts' final third.
Substitutions:
Mohamadou Sumareh - 8/10 (Man of the Match)
The Gambian-born forward only came on at the start of second half, but he was a much-needed antidote to an ineffective Malaysian attack. Playing on the right flank, he wreaked havoc on the fatigued Sri Lanka defence, drawing the defenders towards him to open up space in the penalty box. While his teammates were able to exploit this to score two goals, he left it late to score himself, bagging a brace in the final 10 minutes of the match; his debut for his adopted country.
FAM
Mohamadou Sumareh. Photo from Malaysian FA
Kenny Pallraj Davaragi - 6/10
The midfielder came on the start of the second half, played behind Sumareh on the right flank and provided ample support to him.
Akhyar Rashid - 7/10
The starlet came on with more or less half an hour remaining, but was marked closely by the hosts' defence and overshadowed by Sumareh. He however did well enough to assist Sumareh's second goal of the night.
Syazwan Andik Ishak - 6/10
The left back replaced Fazly in the 64th minute, and did his job well enough to keep out the hosts' attackers, while assisting a goal. His corner kick in the 76th minute was nodded in by Adam to give the visitors the lead.
Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat - NA
Late substitutions who did not have to shift into second gear.
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