BANGKOK: Malaysia rallied back from a set down to defeat wildcard entry Philippines 2-1 to set-up a showdown with defending champions Thailand in the Finals 2014/15 at the Nakhom Pathom Municipal Gymnasium today.
Faced with the prospect of going up against highly motivated Filipino youngsters in the semi-finals in the form of Ronsited Gabayeron (tekong), Jason Huerte (feeder) and striker Rheyjhey Ortouste, the Malaysian game crumbled in just 22 minutes of the first set.
The trio of Syahir Rosdi (tekong), Farhan Adam (feeder) and Khairol Zaman were sent packing to a 14-21 defeat in 22 minutes but bounced back to win the second and tie breaker 21-11 and 21-12 respectively in 57 minutes.
"We struggled in the first set against the Philippines service and they were also strong in defence. But once we had identified the areas, we changed the tactics, slowed down the speed of our service and played more drop shots which caught them by surprise," said coach Abdul Talib Ahmad.
"It is going to be an epic battle against Thailand in the final and we are not only playing against a top notch team but a full house of passionate home fans. So we have to be on top of our game at all times," added Abdul Talib.
Two-time champions Thailand, led by Nakhon Pathom Club players in Sittipong Khamchan (tekong), Rangsirod Sirisamutsarn (feeder), Anuwat Chaichana (striker), Nattapon Kraiwan (tekong) and Thawisak Thongsai (striker), scored an easy 21-8, 21-10 win over Japan in their semi-final.
The Thais defeated Malaysia in the SuperSeries final of the last two seasons. However, Malaysia's best memories in Season 3 of the ISTAF SuperSeries 2014/15 were in the second leg held in Malacca early this year where the Thais were beaten 2-0 in 50 minutes.
Thailand assistant coach Prawet Intra said he is confident of a Thailand victory in the final.
"We have 24 players in national squad and 14 are from Nakhon Pathom Club which is currently the No 1 club in Thailand and they are motivated to erase our defeat in Malacca. We watched Malaysia play Philippines in the semi-finals and they are a good side,"said Prawet.