KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian football great Datuk Dollah Salleh is hoping the national team can once again achieve the level Malaysia was at in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Dollah said the squad must build on their momentum from the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
The former national striker was impressed with the squad's performance during their 3-3 draw with South Korea last week.
Harimau Malaya's next major assignment will be the second round (Asia) of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which resumes in March. The squad will face Oman on March 21 (away) and March 26 (home), followed by an away match against Kyrgyzstan (June 6) and Taiwan at home (June 11).
"We have to maintain our momentum," said Dollah when contacted recently.
"After so long, it is time that we go back to the level we were at in the 1980s and 1990s. We showed improvement (at the Asian Cup) and if we can challenge South Korea, we can also challenge other Asian countries.
"Teams such as Oman are of a similar strength to the teams we played against at the Asian Cup. In fact, South Korea are stronger than them, so we should be able to do well against them (Oman).
"What is important is that we play quality friendly matches to prepare us for our upcoming competitions. We should not be playing against weak teams in our friendlies."
The last time Malaysia defeated South Korea was in 1985, when Dollah scored the solitary goal in the match.
Malaysia's highest ever placing in the Fifa rankings was No. 75, which was achieved in 1993.
The national team is currently ranked No. 130, the highest it has achieved in 17 years.