Showing posts with label HarimauMuda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HarimauMuda. Show all posts

Jul 8, 2015

5 SEBAB PERLU MENONTON PERLAWANAN LIVERPOOL MENENTANG MALAYSIA XI

Kedatangan kelab Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL), Liverpool ke Malaysia hujung bulan ini telah mendapat pelbagai maklum balas termasuk dari luar negara. Ada yang mengatakan perlawanan ini hanya sesuatu yang sia-sia dan digelar ‘sarkas’ namun disebalik kecaman-kecaman sebegini, perlawanan sebegini sebenarnya masih mendapat perhatian ramai dari peminat-peminat bolasepak khususnya di Malaysia.

Bagi para penyokong Liverpool di Malaysia mahupun peminat bolasepak tempatan, ada 5 perkara mengapa kedatangan The Reds ke Malaysia ini sentiasa ditunggu-tunggu.

1) Peluang menyaksikan barisan pemain baru Liverpool beraksi.
Liverpool telah melakukan banyak transaksi pembelian demi memantapkan pasukan pada musim baru ini. Kehilangan ketua pasukan berkarisma, Steven Gerrard pastinya menjadi satu kehilangan besar namun The Kops mendapat tonik baru selepas hadirnya bintang baru seperti James Milner, Joe Gomez, Danny Ings dan yang peling penting, Roberto Firmino. Milner antara pemain City yang kerap mendapat Manuel Pellegrini sementara Gomez dan Ings adalah pemain muda England yang semakin meningkat naik. Firmino pula antara bintang di Bundesliga selain menjadi pilihan utama sebagai penyerang skuad samba Brazil di bawah kendalian Dunga.

2) Harimau Malaya Bernafas Baru
Walaupun perlawanan kali ini dibarisi gabungan pemain import dan pemain Malaysia, namun ketua jurulatih Dollah Salleh telah menegaskan bahawa selepas prestasi teruk dalam 2 perlawanan kelayakan Piala Dunia baru-baru ini, beliau akan memanggil pemain-pemain muda yang beraksi dalam Sukan SEA Singapura. Ini sudah semestinya menjadi nafas baru buat bolasepak negara apabila pemain berbakat besar Nuridzuan Abu Hasan dapat menunjukkan aksi di peringkat tertinggi bersama skuad senior.

3) Kedatangan Liverpool Ke Malaysia Menjanjikan Pesta Gol
Kali terakhir Liverpool hadir ke Malaysia adalah pada tahun 2011 dimana ketika itu dibawah kendalian Kenny Dalglish, The Reds menghasilkan 6 gol pada pertemuan dengan skuad kebangsaan. Malaysia juga tidak ketinggalan membalas gol dengan menjaringkan 3 gol sekaligus menyaksikan 9 jaringan dihasilkan pada pertemuan tersebut. Tidak mustahil kunjungan kali ini juga akan menghasilkan pesta jaringan gol di Bukit Jalil.

4) Aksi Import Terbaik Liga Super Menentang Liverpool
Seperti pertemuan menentang Spurs pada Mei, Dollah sekali lagi ingin menggunakan khidmat 5 orang pemain import namun kali ini dengan barisan yang berbeza. Nama-nama seperti Dickson Nwakaeme dan Chad Souza antara yang menjadi perhatian setakat ini. Aksi mereka di Liga Super sememangnya telah terbukti berkesan, bagaimana pula jika mereka berdepan bintang-bintang Liverpool ini? Apakah Sakho mampu mengekang Dickson?

5) Menyaksikan Liverpool Di Malaysia Adalah Alternatif Untuk Yang Tiada Kesempatan Ke Anfield
Sebagai peminat Liverpool, pasti menonton pasukan pilihan mereka di gelanggang kerammat iaitu Anfield menjadi impian yang ingin dilaksanakan. Namun begitu, tidak semua orang bertuah untuk merealisasikannya. Tiket penerbangan ke England sahaja sudah mencecah ribuan ringgit. Bagaimana pula dengan tiket perlawanan serta kos penginapan di sana? Itulah sebabnya kedatangan kelab-kelab luar ini memberi satu alternatif atau peluang buat peminat-peminat di Malaysia bagi menyaksikan sendiri pasukan kesayangan mereka beraksi dengan kos kewangan yang lebih berpatutan.




Jul 3, 2015

MILNER AND INGS SET TO JOIN LFC TOUR

Liverpool FC fans can look forward to seeing the Anfield club’s new signings, James Milner and Danny Ings as part of their 2015 pre-season tour.

With only two weeks until the Reds embark on their tour of Bangkok, Brisbane, Adelaide and Kuala Lumpur, Milner and Ings are confirmed participants alongside several of the 123-year-old club’s top rated players.

The Reds kick-off in Kuala Lumpur against the Malaysian XI at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Friday 24 July (kick-off time 8:45pm). The match is organised by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and promoted by ProEvents International Sdn Bhd.

Prior to playing in Kuala Lumpur, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool FC will take on Thailand All Stars in Bangkok on July 14 followed by stopover in Brisbane (July 17) and Adelaide (July 20).

Billy Hogan, Chief Commercial Officer, Liverpool Football Club, said: “With only a couple of weeks to go, we are now really excited about the 2015 tour and engaging with as many LFC supporters as possible.

“The tour fixtures are a wonderful opportunity for fans to see the team up close no matter how far away from Anfield they live and we are delighted to be able to make this a reality for our global fan base.”

In addition to the first team squad, the touring party will include coaching staff from the Club's charity, Liverpool FC Foundation, to carry out work in the community throughout the visit as well as taking part in events with official LFC supporters' clubs.

Liverpool FC's fixture in Kuala Lumpur is just one element of a programme of activities that the Club is delivering in 2015 to bring Malaysian fans closer to the team they support.

Match tickets for Malaysia XI v Liverpool FC are priced at RM58 (student), RM88, RM158, and RM228 with a limited number of VIP seats available at RM428 and RM328. 

All tickets are now available for purchase via online at ticketpro.com.my, hotline +603-7880-7999, Ticketpro outlets as well as New Balance and Sports Empire outlets.

For more information on ticketing and general tour details visit www.LFCTour.com

Sep 4, 2014

HAMIDIN: ASIA CHAMPIONS TROPHY SPRINGBOARD FOR ASIAN NATIONS

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) General-Secretary Dato’ Hamidin Mohd Amin paid glowing tribute to Frenz United Football Club for organising this second edition of the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy (ACT) U-16 2014 which has been a perfect springboard for Harimau Muda 'D' who emerged champions on Sunday.

“You have to give full credit to Frenz United Football Club for their vision and mission. They certainly deserve all the accolades. Participation in the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy has been a fantastic platform for all the teams from 12 nations, especially Harimau Muda ‘D’ and Frenz United Malaysia,” said Dato’ Hamidin.

He added that this is just the beginning of better things to come and hopes ACT 2015 will be further expanded to include more teams from the Asian region.

“Honestly, without the ACT 2014, I don’t think Harimau Muda ‘D’ would have played enough good quality matches in preparation for this week’s Asian Football Confederation Under-16 Championships. The team has gained so much exposure and confidence and must continue to build on this momentum heading to Bangkok for the AFC Under-16 tournament,” he added.
                                                           
Harimau Muda ‘D’ squad which was assembled in January 2013 after a nationwide selection a year earlier and most of the other competing nations and clubs had benefitted tremendously from the ACT 2014 which augurs well in the development of youth football in the region.

Dato’ Hamidin also heralded the determination of Harimau Muda ‘D’ in staging a late fight back against PVF Vietnam to lift the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy U-16 2014 at Frenz Stadium in Janda Baik, Pahang on Sunday night.

“I am extremely excited and happy for the team. They showed great character, fighting spirit, mental strength and true grit to overcome a very determined Vietnamese side that was bent on playing their best game in the final,” said Dato’ Hamidin who was among top FAM and Frenz United FC officials to witness the final in front of an estimated 3,000 fans.

Harimau Muda ‘D’ defeated PVF Vietnam 2-1 in the first-leg final in Ho Chi Minh City last week but the Malaysians won 5-4 on aggregate over the Vietnamese following a 3-3 draw in the second leg of the final in Janda Baik. Harimau Muda ‘D’ received US$50,000 (RM165,000) for their effort and PVF Vietnam took home US$25,000 (RM82,500).

Frenz United Malaysia finished third following a 3-1 win over defending champions Chonburi FC in the third-fourth playoff match. The Black Dragons pocketed US$15,000 (RM49,500) and Chonburi FC US$7,500 (RM24,750).

Dato’ Hamidin added that winning the ACT 2014 will provide the ideal morale booster platform for coach S. Balachandran’s Harimau Muda ‘D’ squad who will travel to Bangkok on Thursday for the AFC Under-16 Championship Final round.

The Malaysians are drawn in Group A of the tournament held from September 6-20 with the company of Thailand, Korea and Oman. They open their campaign against the hosts on Saturday. The top four teams will qualify for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile.

The ACT 2014 has also unveiled a number of players who are of senior national team material in the future. Chonburi FC’s Sittichok Paso scored a total of 16 goals to win the Top Scorer award for the second consecutive year and will certainly lead the Thai firepower up front in the AFC Under-16 championships while more will be heard of PVF Vietnam’s Nguyen Vu Tin in the coming years.

On the home front, the ACT 2014 has developed the skills and confidence level of Harimau Muda ‘D’ strikers Kogisleswaran Raj (15 goals) and Najmuddin Samat, midfielder and skipper Shahrul Akmal Adnan who won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, defender Dinesh Rajasingam and Amirul Ashraf to name a few while Frenz United Malaysia players have also benefited tremendously from this experience.

Meanwhile, an ecstatic Harimau Muda ‘D’ coach Balachandran said his players are on Cloud Nine after Sunday’s come-from-behind-victory and is confident they are ready for the tough battle ahead in the AFC Under-16 Championships.

“It was clearly a fantastic performance from my players. The team could have scored early in the first half but we improved as the match progressed,” said Balachandran. “They will take a two-day rest before heading for Bangkok for the AFC Under-16 Championships on Thursday.”

“Our recipe for success is in the players’ determination to win. They are a much disciplined side and we must continue this form in the AFC Under-16 championships. All the teams are very strong and we are also of equal strength. We have to play to our strength to stay in the front,” added the head coach.

Balachandran has set a semi-finals target for Harimau Muda ‘D’ in the AFC U-16 championships which would qualify the team for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile. Should the team meet his expectations, it will be the first time that a Malaysian youth team would have qualified for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup based on merit.

Malaysia gained automatic qualification as host of the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship held in six venues around the country.

#ACT2014 #HarimauMuda #FrenzUnited 

Aug 31, 2014

BATTLE OF THE UNBEATABLES

The return leg of the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014 between Harimau Muda ‘D’ and PVF Vietnam in Janda Baik, Pahang on Sunday is not all about two teams battling for the coveted trophy and US$50,000 winner’s purse.

It is, however, a classic story of two players whose games have developed by leaps and bounds in the ACT 2014 and are set to take centre stage when S. Balachandran’s Harimau Muda Under-16 and Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Chuong’s PVF Vietnam renew their title rivalry.

Young Tiger’s striker Kogileswaran Raj and PVF Vietnam’s Nguyen Vu Tin are two players who can transform the facade of the second leg final with just a moment of brilliance on the pitch.

Kogileswaran and Nguyen Vu have earned the reputation of not only being top notch strikers but the duo can also be counted on where others fail to deliver when the chips are down.

The Malaysian has scored 14 goals in the tournament – one short of Chonburi FC’s leading goal poacher Sittichok Paso, while Nguyen Vu has found the net 12 times in 11 matches.

The Young Tigers defeated the Vietnamese 2-1 in the first-leg final at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, with Kogileswaran putting the visitors ahead with a 39th minute penalty but Le Ngoc Bao cancelled it with a 72nd minute equaliser before Muhammad Najmuddin Samat snatched the winner against the run of play three minutes later.

Though Harimau Muda Under-16 returned home with a comfortable 2-1 first leg win over the Vietnamese, it is still too early for the fireworks and celebrations as far as coach Balachandran is concerned.

“Yes, I am extremely excited with our win in Vietnam but we cannot afford to be very comfortable with the 2-1 advantage. PVF Vietnam will be under pressure to score two goals at Janda Baik to pull away,” said Balachandran at a pre-final press conference in Kelana Jaya.

“And this is where our defenders must be focused and play hard to deny them of any opportunity,” he added.

“You just never know as anything can happen. We have always been playing an attacking game for the past few months and will maintain this system and rhythm against PVF Vietnam,” he said, adding that the midfield and attacking machinery in the squad have been having cordial understanding.

A win on Sunday will also be a timely boost for the Harimau Muda ‘D’ in the preparation for the upcoming Asian Football Confederation Under-16 championships in Bangkok next month. The top four teams will earn qualification to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile.

PVF Vietnam assistant head coach Ha Vuong Ngau Nai heralded his team’s perseverance against the Malaysians and warned his rivals that the battle is far from over yet.

“We have come here having learned from our mistakes back home in the first leg final,” said Ha Vuong. “We believe we can improve in our return match and we are looking forward towards it.”

The tournament boasts one of the most lucrative prize money ever offered in the region for an under-age competition. The total prize money on offer for the tournament is US$100,000. The winner will receive US$50,000, runners-up US$25,000, third and fourth-placed team US$15,000 and US$7,500 respectively and individual awards of Most Valuable Player will receive US$1,500 and Top Scorer will receive US$1,000. 

#FrenzUnited #ACT2014 #HarimauMuda 

Aug 26, 2014

HARIMAU MUDA STUN PVF VIETNAM IN FIRST-LEG FINAL

Coach S. Balachandran’s Harimau Muda secured a 2-1 victory over PVF Vietnam in the first leg final of the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy U-16 2014 at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.
  
The young tigers and PVF Vietnam will renew their title rivalry in the return leg match at Frenz Stadium in Janda Baik, Pahang this Sunday.

“I'm satisfied with this score since we are playing in Vietnam. I would like to congratulate my boys for a great job here,” said Balachandran, adding that they will now aim to score more goals back home.

“‎In the first half, PVF Vietnam played a defensive game but we managed to find the space to score the opening goal. I was rather worried about the pitch condition but things got better when the water receded,” he said.

The kick-off was earlier delayed for an hour following a heavy downpour and when play got underway there was little the Malaysians could do on a water logged pitch.

On the opposite end, the Vietnamese seem to have adapted fast and showed glimpses of brilliance on the wet pitch as they went about firing on all cylinders.

Striker Pham Trong Hua squandered two chances that came his way, the first in the third minute when his header went wide after goalkeeper Muhd Asri Muhammad failed to latch onto the ball, and the second five minute later when he shot into the side net.

The young tigers, however, shrugged off the early scare by showing plenty of grit as they battled back to silence the estimated 500 home fans with a penalty in the 39th minute after midfielder Najib Abdullah was brought down inside the penalty box by defender Le Thanh Phong.

Striker Kogileswaran Raj packed enough power from the spot to send goalkeeper Phan Van Bieu the wrong way for Harimau Muda Under-16’s opening goal and his 14th in the tournament as the Malaysians grabbed a 1-0 half time lead.

The Vietnamese put that disappointment behind in the second half and rocked the Malaysians confidence with a Le Ngoc Bao header in the 71st minute after a receiving a cross from Thanh Phong from the right flack.

But that joy only short-lived just as it erupted into wild celebrations much earlier as Harimau Muda U-16 responded immediately three minutes later through Muhammad Najmuddin Samat who cleverly maneuvered his way past an onrushing goalkeeper Van Bieu to put the ball into goal and in the process seal the game 2-1 in favour of the visitors.

PVF Vietnam tried all they could in the remaining minutes in search for the equalizer but was denied by the Malaysian defenders bent on returning home with this slim victory.

Meanwhile, defending champions Chonburi FC and Frenz United Malaysia played to a goalless draw in the first leg of their third-fourth placing match at the Chonburi Stadium on Sunday.


The return leg match will be played on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at Frenz Stadium (Kick-off time 4.30pm).

#ACT2014 #FrenzUnited 

Aug 13, 2014

BLACK DRAGONS STUMBLE; YOUNG LIONS SURPRISE CHONBURI

Nguyen Vu Tin stole the show with a hat-trick as PVF Vietnam defeated Frenz United Malaysia 3-0 in the first leg semi-finals of the Asia Champions Trophy U-16 2014 at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday.

Vu Tin’s three goals – taking his tournament total to 11 – momentarily crippled Frenz United’s march into the August 23 and August 30 home-and-away final as the Malaysians are now faced with a mammoth task of scoring four clear goals in the return leg semi-finals at Frenz Stadium on August 17 to be sure of a spot in the final.

Anything less in front of their die-hard fans at on Saturday would mean the final could be a contest between Harimau Muda U-16, defending champions Chonburi FA and PVF Vietnam who are still in the running. Coach S. Balachandran’s young tigers scored an emphatic 3-1 win over Chonburi FA in the first leg semi-finals last Saturday and are geared up for the final blow against the Thais this weekend in the Thai provincial city.

The Vietnamese went 2-0 up in the first half with strikes from Vu Tin in the 22nd and 37th minutes and the youngster who affirmed his status as a potentially dangerous striker kept the momentum going until the 84th minute for his hat-trick to wrap up the rout and Malaysians misery.

For Frenz United Malaysia coach, Matdinos Talib, the battle is far from over despite the huge blow suffered today and believes his boys are still capable of turning the tide around in Janda Baik.

“We had our chances. We did control the match although the score line may not suggest that. It is a setback but we will get back into the game in the return-leg semi-finals,” said Matdinos, adding that the defenders had let the team down and would find ways to overcome this situation.

He also envisaged that the cool surroundings of Janda Baik would give them an advantage compared to the sweltering heat conditions in Vietnam.

PVF Vietnam head coach Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Chuong says the three-goal cushion going into the return leg is a big welcome to his side but nevertheless cautioned his players of being in over-confident mode.

“It will not be easy at all in Janda Baik for the return leg semi-finals and I can see that coming,” said Nguyen Phuc. “We must play our best as the Malaysians enjoy home ground advantage and always play extremely well at home.”

Meanwhile, strikers Najib Abdullah, Amirul Syazwan and Kogileswaran Raj fired Harimau Muda U-16 2014 to a 3-1 victory over defending champions Chonburi FA in the first leg semi-finals at Frenz Stadium on Saturday.

It was just another day of a dramatic performance from coach S. Balachandran’s young tigers in the ACT 2014 as they clawed back from a Sittichok Paso 16th minute goal – his 15th in the tournament, to send the Thais packing home bruised and battered.

The Malaysians take a two-goal advantage going into the return leg tie on August 18 in Chonburi and Balachandran feels Saturday’s victory has been an ideal challenge by his players to test their mettle against one of the strongest side in ACT 2014 and also justify their position for a slot in the August 23 and August 30 home-and-away final.

Balachandran paraded his most fortified line-up against the Thais with Kogisleswaran leading the charge upfront. The former Bukit Bandaraya student in Bangsar, who joined the FA of Malaysia Academy in Gambang last year, has been a bane to many defenders and proved his prowess once again.

Skipper Mohd Shahrul Akmal marshalled from the middle, Najib played his role mapped out clearly for him from the left flank extremely well with Mohd Zulkhairi on the right and Dinesh Rajasingam occasionally lurking dangerously to unsettle the visitors. It was Harimau Muda Under-16’s most lethal strike force. 

“I am very excited with this win. The boys showed tremendous patience and mental strength to come back after going down early in the game. But we can also expect an equally strong fight back from Chonburi in the return leg match. They are not going to rest here,” said Balachandran.

“We have one week to prepare our strategy against the Thais and I believe the boys know what to expect and what needs to be done. Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the final,” he added.

Backed by an estimated 2,000 folks of Janda Baik which includes FA of Malaysia General-Secretary Dato’ Hamidin Mohd Amin, the Malaysians and Thais got off to a cautious start, not wanting to be far too adventurous in the early minutes of play.

The defending champions arrived in Janda Baik with Peerayat Kaminthong, the team’s mastermind, lurking in the middle, Sittichok who bagged the Most Valuable Player and Top Striker awards at the 2013 ACT Under-15 championships, and Kritthanapong Paidaen marauding dangerously from the flanks. 

After a couple of near misses from both sides, Chonburi FA struck first through Sittichok with a thunderbolt 35-metre shot which caught goalkeeper Mohd Asri Mohd off guard as the ball sailed the near the far left post and dipped into the net.

Buoyed by the early goal, the Thais, who have been unbeaten throughout the Group B preliminary round stage, further exploited the situation by pressing on upfront but were denied by their own sloppy finishing.

However, in a sudden burst of attack in the 27th minute, the young tigers won their second corner of the day. Kogileswaran turned the ball in and Najib headed it past goalkeeper Chakon Philakhlang. Harimau Muda 1 Chonburi FA 1.

The match tempo turned intensive in the second half with the Thais having a strong grip in the early minutes and almost went 2-1 up had striker Saharat Sontisawat pounced on a loose ball in front of the Malaysian goalmouth.

But the night truly belonged to the young tigers who stole the thunder from the Thais, forcing Chakon to pull off a few brilliant saves. Substitute Amirul made it 2-1 in the 76th minute with a cheeky finish and Kogileswaran sealed it 3-1 seven minutes before the end with a right-foot shot past Chakon after receiving a pass from Mohd Najmuddin in a one-on-one situation inside the box.

#FrenzUnited #HarimauMuda #ACT2014

HARIMAU MUDA U-16 SURPRISE CHONBURI AT JANDA BAIK

Strikers Najib Abdullah, Amirul Syazwan and Kogileswaran Raj fired Harimau Muda U-16 2014 to a 3-1 victory over defending champions Chonburi FA in the first leg semi-finals of the Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014 (ACT 2014) at Frenz Stadium on Saturday.

It was just another day of a dramatic performance from coach S. Balachandran’s young tigers in the ACT 2014 as they clawed back from a Sittichok Paso 16th minute goal – his 15th in the tournament, to sent the Thais packing home bruised and battered.

The Malaysians take a two-goal advantage going into the return leg tie on August 18 in Chonburi and Balachandran feels Saturday’s victory has been an ideal challenge by his players to test their mettle against one of the strongest side in ACT 2014 and also justify their position for a slot in the August 23 and August 30 home-and-away final.
 
Balachandran paraded his most fortified line-up against the Thais with Kogisleswaran leading the charge upfront. The former Bukit Bandaraya student in Bangsar, who joined the FA of Malaysia Academy in Gambang last year, has been a bane to many defenders and proved his prowess once again.

Skipper Mohd Shahrul Akmal marshalled from the middle, Najib played his role mapped out clearly for him from the left flank extremely well with Mohd Zulkhairi on the right and Dinesh Rajasingam occasionally lurking dangerously to unsettle the visitors. It was Harimau Muda Under-16’s most lethal strike force. 

“I am very excited with this win. The boys showed tremendous patience and mental strength to come back after going down early in the game. But we can also expect an equally strong fight back from Chonburi in the return leg match. They are not going to rest here,” said Balachandran.

“We have one week to prepare our strategy against the Thais and I believe the boys know what to expect and what needs to be done. Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the final,” he added.

Backed by an estimated 2,000 folks of Janda Baik which includes FA of Malaysia General-Secretary Dato’ Hamidin Mohd Amin, the Malaysians and Thais got off to a cautious start, not wanting to be far too adventurous in the early minutes of play.

The defending champions arrived in Janda Baik with Peerayat Kaminthong, the team’s mastermind, lurking in the middle, Sittichok who bagged the Most Valuable Player and Top Striker awards at the 2013 ACT Under-15 championships, and Kritthanapong Paidaen marauding dangerously from the flanks. 

After a couple of near misses from both sides, Chonburi FA struck first through Sittichok with a thunderbolt 35-metre shot which caught goalkeeper Mohd Asri Mohd off guard as the ball sailed the near the far left post and dipped into the net.

Buoyed by the early goal, the Thais, who have been unbeaten throughout the Group B preliminary round stage, further exploited the situation by pressing on upfront but were denied by their own sloppy finishing.

However, in a sudden burst of attack in the 27th minute, the young tigers won their second corner of the day. Kogileswaran turned the ball in and Najib headed it past goalkeeper Chakon Philakhlang. Harimau Muda 1 Chonburi FA 1.

The match tempo turned intensive in the second half with the Thais having a strong grip in the early minutes and almost went 2-1 up had striker Saharat Sontisawat pounced on a loose ball in front of the Malaysian goalmouth.

But the night truly belonged to the young tigers who stole the thunder from the Thais, forcing Chakon to pull off a few brilliant saves. Substitute Amirul made it 2-1 in the 76th minute with a cheeky finish and Kogileswaran sealed it 3-1 seven minutes before the end with a right-foot shot past Chakon after receiving a pass from Mohd Najmuddin in a one-on-one situation inside the box.

#FrenzUnited #HarimauMuda #ACT2014

Aug 8, 2014

RISE AND CLASH OF THE TITANS

High expectations and big dreams but the fiesta is far from over for defending champions Chonburi FC, title pretenders PVF Vietnam, Harimau Muda Under-16 and Frenz United Malaysia in the Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014.

The ‘Young Tigers’ and Frenz United Malaysia, dubbed the ‘Black Dragons’, aim to ruin the escalating dreams and hopes of Chonburi FC and PVF Vietnam when the semi-finals of Asia’s richest youth tournament which offers a total prize money of US$100,000 (RM330,000) gets underway this weekend.

Harimau Muda Under-16 coach S. Balachandran has called on his young tigers to add more bite into their game against the Thais in the first-leg semi-finals at Frenz Stadium in Janda Baik, Pahang this Saturday. The second-leg will be played on August 18 at the Chonburi FC Stadium. For the record, the Thais remained the only team in ACT 2014 to record seven straight wins and two draws in Group A of the preliminary round.

Prolific goal-poacher Kogileswaran Raj Mohana Raj, the young tigers leading scorer with 11 goals, will be the striker Balachandran hopes to unleash and prise open Chonburi’s highly shaky and porous defence when under intense pressure.

The Thais have scored a total of 36 goals but it is their unpredictable defence line that riles head coach Withaya Laohakul having witnessed how easily his players succumbed to pressure by allowing 12 goals past them.

“We have never played Chonburi before but we will take the field with the same kind of tenacity and discipline which saw us beat PVF Vietnam by three goals in our last group match,” said Balachandran who is bracing for a tough encounter against Chonburi.

“What is important is that we maintain our momentum going into the semi-finals with the underdogs tag. That will lift the pressure off us and I am sure the boys are eager to win this first round battle at home with the support of our fans in Janda Baik,” he added.

Organised by Frenz United Football Club in collaboration with the Football Association of Malaysia and Asian Football Confederation, the Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014 is an ‘upgraded’ version of the 2013 ASEAN Under-15 Champions Trophy which Chonburi FC claimed with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Frenz United Malaysia A in last year’s final.

However, the new version of the ACT 2014 is spread over a wider platform with the participation of Guangdong FA (China) and India’s National Under-16 (AIFF), bringing the total number of teams competing to 12. Timor Leste National Under-16, LAO Toyota (Laos), Myanmar Academy FC, Frenz United Indonesia and Singapore’s Home United FC add up to the numbers.

The competition format is mirrored that of the Champions league, beginning with a first round group stage which started on May 17 followed by the knockout stage. Top two teams in each group advance to the August 9-10 first-leg semi-finals followed by second-leg semi-finals on August 17-18. The final, also played on a home-and-away basis, is scheduled for August 23 and August 30.

The Champions will receive US$50,000 (RM165,000), runners-up US$25,000 (RM80,000), third and fourth placed teams US$12,500 (RM40,000) and US$7, 500  (RM24,000) respectively. Additional to that are the individual awards of Most Valuable Player who will receive US$3,000 (RM9,600) and the Top Scorer gains to receive US$2,000 (RM6,400).

Frenz United Football Club held a ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House’ for members of the media today which was also attended by Frenz United FC president, Dato’ Noor Ihsan Hamid, senior Frenz United FC Officials, sponsors and respective managers and captains of teams who have qualified for the semi-finals of the ACT 2014.

“The Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014 is one of the major tournaments organised by Frenz United FC primarily to promote the continued development of young footballers in this region,” said Dato’ Noor Ihsan. “The tournament was conceived to showcase the true emerging regional talents to the world at large and more importantly raise the overall level of regional professionalism to unprecedented high.”

“Frenz United FC investment in the future of football is propelling itself as one of the leading football capitals of the region. With this status, the Asia Champions Trophy Under-16 2014 will be a key international event in the world of youth football,” he said, adding that Frenz United FC vision of developing players at the junior level has been fruitful.

“The Asia Champions Trophy will also act as a platform with a right exposure playing against good teams. We hope with this effort they will go on to represent their respective countries beginning with the AFC Under-16 Championships in September,” said Dato’ Noor Ihsan.

With a series of good performances in the preliminary round, Frenz United Malaysia team manager Ahmad Fairu   z Mohd Yunus is however fully aware of PVF Vietnam’s strength in their own backyard and hopes that his boys withstand the pressure-cooker atmosphere this Sunday at Thong Nhat Stadium.

“We are confident that our team will be able to take the game to PVF Vietnam and will ensure a tough encounter for our Vietnamese opponents. The boys are raring to go and hope to capitalise on the weakness within PVF,” said Fairuz.

Meanwhile, PVF Vietnam representative, Luong Thi Phuong Dung, has warned the players against any form of complacency against Frenz United Malaysia as the Malaysians are in top form.

“Frenz United Malaysia has quite a number of skilful players and it will be a grave mistake on our part to underestimate them,” said Luong. “The fact that Frenz United Malaysia is in the semi-finals shows they are a team to be respected."

She added that as favourites, PVF Vietnam will bounce back from that 3-0 defeat against Harimau Muda Under-16 on July 19 and play like champions in the semi-finals.

“The morale of the team is high. We have put that 3-0 defeat behind us and are now focussed on our semi-finals match against Frenz United Malaysia,” she said, adding that with home ground advantage at Thong Nhat stadium they hope to pull off a positive result going into the return-leg match.

The Vietnamese, who have been hogging the limelight since May 17 this year, missed out of the 2013 semi-finals by a mere point - finishing third behind Chonburi FC and Frenz United  Malaysia ‘A’ at the end of the preliminary round. However, they seemed to have learned from that bitter experience and returned this year with outstanding performance to lead Group A with 25 points following eight wins and a draw.

Fixtures – August 9: 1st Leg Semi-finals: Harimau Muda U-16 v Chonburi FC (Frenz Stadium, Janda Baik, 8.45pm); August 10: PVF Vietnam vs Frenz United Malaysia (Thong Nat stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, 5.00pm).


August 17– 2nd Leg semi-finals: Frenz United Malaysia vs PVF Vietnam (Frenz Stadium, Janda Baik, 8.45pm); August 18: Chonburi FC v Harimau Muda U-16 (Chonburi Stadium, 5.00pm).

#FrenzUnited #ACT2014 #HarimauMuda