Harimau Malaya arrive home safely

KUALA LUMPUR: The national football team arrived home safely this afternoon after spending almost a month in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to complete their three remaining Group G second-round matches of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The team arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on a special Malaysia Airlines charter flight bearing the Harimau Malaya livery, according to the post on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Facebook page.

Earlier, the plane landed in Bangkok, where 13 of the national players, who also represent Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), disembarked. They will be representing JDT in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League competition, which is scheduled to begin on June 22.

Only eight national players flew back to Kuala Lumpur while the other five overseas-based players returned to their destinations separately yesterday.

The Harimau Malaya, led by head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, ended their second-round campaign in the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in third spot in Group G after edging Thailand 1-0 in their final group match at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai early yesterday morning.

That allowed Malaysia, who accumulated 12 points, to automatically advance into the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held between February and March next year.

-- BERNAMA