Malaysian striker Thamil Arasu scored five goals in Malaysia’s 7-1 win over East Timor this month

Malaysian U21 team coach Ong Kim Swee says his players are ready to redeem themselves at next month’s U21 International Football Tournament after a humiliating performance at last year’s event.

He hopes to avoid the embarrassment the squad experienced being eliminated in the group stage after a 2-4 loss to Vietnam and a 0-2 shutout by Thailand. Swee was not yet coach of the team during that tournament.

Swee said his best U19s from the recent tournament would be selected for the U21 competition in the southern province of Binh Duong next month.

Malaysian striker Thamil Arasu scored five goals in Malaysia’s 7-1 win over East Timor in the U19 Southeast Asian Football Championship group stage earlier this month. Arasu will probably compete at Thanh Nien-sponsored U21 International Football Tournament in Binh Duong next month.

Strikers Gary Stevan Robbat and Thamil Arasu, who scored five goals in a 7-1 U19 competition group stage victory over East Timor at the Championship, would certainly be selected for the U21 tournament, he said.

Kavichelvan Bin Shaharuddin, who scored against Vietnam’s U21s last year, would also be in the starting lineup this year, Swee said.

China, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand will all send squads to the event.

Swee knows the games won’t be easy.

“I’ve heard the tournament in Vietnam is very competitive, so we have made very careful preparations for it,” Swee said.

Indeed, Swee has his own disappointments to shake off as his U19 team lost to Thailand in the semis and was then shutout by Vietnam in the battle for third place.

Reported by Dang Khoa