PETALING JAYA: There were many experimental combinations in the national team that played Lebanon on Tuesday but none more so than in defence.
Coach Tan Cheng Hoe paired Perak's Shahrul Saad with Kuala Lumpur's Irfan Zakaria in central defence and both did well to contain Lebanon's attacks despite losing the Asian Cup qualifier 2-1 in Beirut.
While Irfan has often played for the national Under-23 team as a centre-back, he is mostly used in a defensive midfield role by KL.
Shahrul, too, plays in midfield at times for Perak so it was a big gamble which Cheng Hoe took to pair the two players together in the heart of defence with Irfan winning his first cap.
"I am proud of the way Irfan played not only against Lebanon but also during the AFC Under-23 Championship,” said Shahrul before training at Wisma FAM on Friday.
"He is very easy to communicate with and I think we paired well together. We were able to play well as a team despite hardly having played together because we helped each other out on the pitch.
"It is important to give your full commitment on the pitch and that is what every player did."
Cheng Hoe may decide to field a different combination in Sunday's friendly against Bhutan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil when Malaysia bid to end a 12-match winless run since November 2016.
"We need to win against Bhutan and maintain the level of performance we showed against Lebanon," said Shahrul, who made his 13th appearance for Malaysia against Lebanon.
Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat said the team's performance against Lebanon has boosted the players’ confidence.
"The way we played against Lebanon has given us the confidence of going for a win against Bhutan," said Kelantan custodian Khairul Fahmi.
"We now have to make sure we can carry that form to the next game, carry out the coach's instructions well and give the fans something to be happy about."