KUALA LUMPUR: Messages of love poured in immediately after the Rio Olympics badminton mixed doubles final match between Malaysia and Indonesia ended tonight.
Goh Liu Ying and Chan Peng Soon lost 21-14 and 21-12 to Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir, earning them the silver medal.
Although the Negaraku did not emanate through Pavilion 4, Riocentro Malaysian netizens showered the pair with words of encouragement and gratitude.
On Twitter, @NajwaAliya said: "It is still history for Malaysia! Silver for #Mas Thank you Goh Liu Ying Chan Peng Soon. You're still our heroes!"
@KL_Kopites wrote: "Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, you lost the match but won our hearts. To come this far against all odds is amazing! Congrats."
@zidanemustaffa said the duo were her favourite pair and that Tey will always be Malaysia's champions.
"Ups and downs we, all the Malaysians are with you," she wrote on Twitter.
On Facebook, words of encouragement also streamed in.
CK Tan told the pair that there was no shame in losing in the final as they had done their best and created history for Malaysian mixed doubles badminton.
Willy Saw echoed Tan, saying the silver win was the first medal ever for a Malaysian mixed doubles pair.
Azrul Ghazali congratulated them for the silver medal and thanked them for making the nation proud.
Cheanu Chew said: "The match might be over, but the torch you lit for us will never burn out. Thank you Malaysian team for bringing us to the world stage again. We celebrate you."