Pitch no excuse in Malaysia’s loss to Oman, says Darren

 

Last night’s loss was Malaysia’s second defeat to Oman. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya forward Darren Lok believes that the pitch was not the determining factor in Malaysia’s 0-2 loss to Oman in the Group D match of the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers last night.

The 34-year-old Sabah FC player said the condition of the pitch at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil should not serve as an excuse since both teams encountered the same condition.

“(The pitch) wasn’t so bad, we can’t use the pitch as an excuse, both teams had to play on it and (last night) was not our night. Oman got the win, and we are disappointed.

“Now we have to keep our heads up and focus on the games in June because we have to win the next two games. Now is the time to put things right and come back with some confidence,” he said when met after the game.

Darren also said time was not in Malaysia’s favour during the two matches against Oman, including the recent 0-2 defeat in Muscat last week, citing the absence of a competitive match for almost two months as the Malaysian League (M-League) was still in the pre-season phase.

“We prepared well, the coaches gave us everything and we trained hard but the timing hasn’t been ideal,” he said.

Meanwhile, naturalised striker Romel Morales believed Malaysia still had a chance to grab the top two spots in the group to confirm a place in the 2027 Asian Cup earlier and qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

The 27-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim player said the team must continue to work hard ahead of the remaining two games next June.

“We know we have a good team with good players. We will try our best, we know we can do it, we believe in that. We still have two more games and we believe we can collect six points to go to the next round,” said the Colombian-born player.

Last night’s loss was Malaysia’s second defeat thereby making it difficult to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and to qualify early for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Malaysia remain third in Group D with six points while Kyrgyzstan lead the group with nine points after beating Taiwan 5-1 last night, followed by second-placed Oman, also with nine points. Taiwan is last without a single point.

Only the top two teams in each group qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and get to confirm a place in the 2027 Asian Cup, while the bottom two teams will play in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Malaysia will next meet Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 and finish the Group D stage against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11. - FMT