Fall to achieve greatness

It was May 2005,  in Istanbul and it was the Champions League final, Liverpool v AC Milan. Two European giants in club football biggest stage. 

Milan led the game 3-0 at halftime but they faltered in 6 minutes. Liverpool clawed their way back to win their 5th European title. 

Malaysia, a small footballing nation with great history in Asia. Once our Tigers were feared by the likes of Korea and Japan. Now, we even struggled to qualify for the Olympics. 

For the past 2 years we have seen some kind of a resurgence in our National football team. We started by winning the 2009 Sea Games gold medal and then we became first time champions in the AFF Cup. And recently we retained the gold medal in the Jakarta-Palembang sea games. 

It was Malaysia v Bahrain in the Asia's Olympic qualifying round. Both team needed a win to keep they Olympic hopes alive.

Malaysia played well and got a 2-0 lead. A world class screamer by the young Nazmi Faiz from outside of the box and a mistake by Bahrain's keeper somehow presented Mahali Jasuli with an opportunity to put Malaysia in a comfortable zone. Bahrain even played with 10-men and it should be a full 3 points by the young Tigers. 

But this is football, even the mighty Milan crumbled. 

I am sad as we should have won. But, with the performance and effort that was put in by the players, I never thought that I could be happier that I should have been.

I'm not happy because we lost. I am happy because of a few reasons. Firstly, I am certain that Malaysia has just found a 'World Class' midfielder in the making. It's no other than the player who wears the number 12 on his jersey, Nazmi Faiz Mansor. 

He's only 17 years old but he showed a matured performance. He was utilized as a defensive midfielder during the defeat against Syria, but coach Ong Kim Swee deployed him in a more attacking role last Saturday. He excelled on both occasion. His wonder strike was the evidence of how good he can be if he keeps his head on the ground. The Malaysian totally looked dismantled after he was taken off due to an injury. 

Khairul Fahmi, with his 'gossips' on the local tabloids, he proved again that he does have the ability to separate his personal life when he is on the field. Another star on the making. Fadli Shas, the 1 of the 2 commanding and assuring center backs. His composed defending and no nonsense approach will make him one of the best center backs for the future. 

Overall, Ong Kim Swee does have a group of fighters on his disposal. This is what we have been missing all this while. We could see how dejected the whole team were after the final whistle. They tried their best but it was just not enough. 

These players are still young. I believe the lost was not due to tiredness. Firstly, they lost the influential figure in midfield when Nazmi Faiz was taken out. Leading at 2-0 with 10-minutes to go, most of them must be thinking that they have won the game. Well, this could be the main culprit. Complacent. They should have keep on working hard until the final minute and not taken off their foot from the pedal. But this will definitely be a good lesson for the players.

The Malaysian football team, they will have to keep working hard. They need to be consistent in their performance. This will definitely bring back the fans. With an honest performances and a few footballing 'brains' in them, I'm sure we can be feared once again. 

They will fall now, it's going to be painful, but it's the best football education that they can have. They will rise wiser and stronger. 

Tigers, keep on roaring!