KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya forward Darren Lok believed 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 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here, last night.
The 34-year-old Sabah FC player emphasised that the condition of the pitch should not serve as an excuse since both teams encountered the same condition.
“It (pitch) wasn’t so bad, we can’t use the pitch as an excuse, both teams have to play on it and tonight (last night) is 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 now 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.
At the same time, Darren said that time was not in Malaysia’s favour during the two matches against Oman, including the recent 0-2 defeat in Muscat last week, following the absence of a competitive match for almost two months as the Malaysian League (M-League) 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 believes Malaysia still has 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 (JDT) player said what is important is that the team must continue to work hard ahead of the remaining two games next June.
“We know we have a good team, 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 achieve their mission of qualifying for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers and qualifying 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, while 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 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 Group D against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11. – BERNAMA
