Road to AFF Suzuki Cup Final

The glory days of Malaysian football is back! After a thrashing defeat 5-1 to Indonesia in the group stage, few would pick the young Malaysian team as favorites to go to the final. Injuries to 10 key players, forced K Rajagopal to go for youth where the back four consisted of players from Harimau Muda squad which had little international experience.

The defeat to Indonesia was mainly due to individual mistakes rather than the team. Poor defending cost us dearly, as the nerves surely got into the young Malaysian players. We drew 0-0 with the mighty Thailand in the second group match where the coach in charged was former Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson. Malaysia last group match was with lowly Laos which saw them cruised to victory 5-1. It was needed boost of confidence to the players to go to the semis.

Malaysia faced defending champions and group B winner Vietnam. The semifinal was played over 2 leg. Malaysia created an upset by defeating the defending champions with 2 late goals from striker Safee Sali. Away at Hanoi for the second leg, Malaysia drew 0-0 and reached their first AFF Cup final in 14 years in the competition.

Only one team stand in their way to glory and its no other than the high flying Indonesian Garudas. With the earlier 5-1 defeat in the group stage still fresh in mind. K. Rajagopal knew that a win at home is very crucial. Malaysia held the 1st leg and Indonesia held the 2nd leg. My friends and I made the trip to show our support for the national team. A crowd of 100,000 filled the stadium. The atmosphere was electrifying. It was my second time watching the national team played. The first time was last year when Manchester United came down :P Much to the surprise of everyone in the stadium, the ball possession was equally distributed between both teams. On the hour mark Safee Sali broke the deadlock to put Malaysia ahead. The stadium exploded into a frenzy. The momentum continued when Malaysia added a second goal from Ashaari. The Malaysian team was growing in confidence and Safee Sali hammered the final nail in the coffin for Indonesia when he header the 3rd goal for Malaysia. The match was definitely legendary!

Indonesia won the return leg 2-1 but it wasn't enough as Malaysia went on to win the AFF Suzuki Cup final 4-2 on aggregate. It was the first time Malaysia won the AFF Cup and surely it won't be last. The victory had united the whole nation and gave the Malaysian fans something to cheer for. Congratulation Malaysia!



      

BASH #195 Semenyih, Selangor

DATE: 19 DECEMBER 2010

Before we head out to Semenyih we stopped by KLIA to send Aunt Carol and Arif. They're heading back to Sarawak for the holiday season. Pak Mat didn't go due to work obligations. This would be the last bash for the year with Christmas being the theme of the ride. The Fish Valley Semenyih kindly let KLMBH used the venue as the rv point. It was surely a family day out as more riders of all ages turn out for the ride. Uncle Jo and I registered as members for 2011 bash. Surely that would pushed us to participate more and commit to future bash ride. Pak Mat decided to ride short due to heart burned suffered the day before. Uncle Jo and I managed to persuade him to ride long. No rush no hustle.

The trail which consists of two major climbs with downhill being the trickiest as there were many slippery slopes due to the muddy conditions. There were amazing scenic views of hilly landscape and few berries (if not mistaken) plantation. It felt like Cameron Highlands for sure.

After the ride, Pak Mat's Avanza suffered a puncture tire. So we stopped by the nearest mechanic. We were back on the road by no time. Semenyih is near the Kajang area, so decided to dine in for some Sate Kajang at Hj Samuri. It was my first time that I had been to the main headquaters of the famous Sate Kajang fast-food restaurant.

BASH#194 Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan

DATE: 28 NOVEMBER 2010

I'm riding with Uncle Johan today. Pak Mat couldn't joined us as he got a wedding ceremony to attend to. 7am sharp Uncle Jo arrived to pick me up at Pak Mat's crib and off we go! Riding Pak Mat's Schwimmer full sus bike to tackle the trails. Apparently, Uncle Jo's bike collections are growing. He's also riding a full sus bike. No more hard tails for him.

With few bash experience between us, we were determined to ride long. The pre-ride description advised riders to bring atleast 4 liters of water on this ride. So, I borrowed Pak Mat's largest hydration pack (3 liters). I'd filled the bladder up with water the night before and at the bash site, found out it was leaking and lost about half of its content.

Fortunately, the weather turned out to be pleasantly forgiving with a short rain downfall during the ride. On my last climb my tank was empty but still managed to finish strong as there were only few kilos left. We had Mc Donald's for lunch and talked about the ride all the way home.