HANGZHOU, Sept 27 — The national men’s team regu squad today has secured at least a silver after defeating Laos 2 - 0 in the semi-final at Jinhua Sports Centre Gymnasium in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
In today’s battle, the first regu of Muhammad Noraizat Mohd Nordin, Farhan Adam and Muhammad Haziq Hairul Nizam faced fierce resistance from the opponents before winning 21 - 17, 21 - 19 in 53 minutes,
The momentum continued with the trio of Mohamad Azlan Alias, Amirul Zazwan Amir, and Mohammad Syahir Mohd Rosdi, who did not face any problems in trouncing the second Laos trio 21 - 14, 21 - 14 and sealed Malaysia’s spot in the final.
However, national coach Ahmad Jais Baharun saw many weaknesses that needed improvement ahead of the final action against defending champions Thailand this Friday (September 29).
"For today's match, personally, I think the first regu needs to act more aggressively; there is a need to vary the attacks. The defence should also be further fortified," he said after the match.
Thailand advanced to the final after beating South Korea 2 - 0 in the other semi-final.
Both semi-final losers, South Korea and Laos, share the bronze.
The clash between Malaysia and Thailand is a repeat of the 2018 edition in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia, which saw the national squad settling for the silver.
— Bernama
