FARIDZ

Malaysia conquers South East Asia

The road was long. The journey was tremendous. But in the end, the never-say-die spirit of Malaysia prevailed. On December 17, 2009, Malaysia overcame the odds and 20 years of drought to become the champions of South East Asia.

The National Under-23 boys who came into the competition as a non-medal prospect displayed one of the most stunning performances in the competition. After edging out Thailand 2-1 and annihilating Laos 3-1, the boys marched forward to defeat Vietnam.

Against Vietnam, Malaysia was in formidable form. In midfield, they battled tooth and nail for every ball. In the opponent’s box, they pounced on every striking chance. In defense, they threw themselves in front of every shot. The hopes of 27 million people were riding on their shoulders and they know it.

It was a tough fight but magic happened with six minutes remaining. Malaysia’s continuous attacks on the Vietnamese goal caused their defenses to crumble and Malaysia took the lead, bringing them closer to avenging their 3-1 defeat to Vietnam during the group stage on December 6.

Sensing victory in sight, Malaysia pushed forward, leaving no room for the Vietnamese to recover. And when the final whistle came, Malaysia fell to their knees and rejoiced. The 20 year wait for Gold is finally over.

Malaysia entered the tournament as the underdogs but through the spirit of making the difference, transformed the tournament into one that gained them absolute respect. The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived.

Savor it.

For it was fought with blood and tears.

Play your part. Drop by the Nike store at Midvalley & Pavilion from today till 6th Jan 2010 to pen a personal congratulatory message to our Malaysian football team for making the difference.