BISHKEK: Coach Kim Pan Gon wants his men to remember the "good memories" when they face Kyrgyzstan in their penultimate World Cup Group D qualifying match at the Dolon Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek tomorrow.
He is referring to Harimau Malaya's sensational 4-3 come-from-behind win over Kyrgyzstan in Bukit Jalil last November and the rousing 3-3 draw with mighty South Korea in the Asian Cup in January.
World No. 138 Malaysia must beat No. 100 Kyrgyzstan to reignite their hopes of qualifying for the third stage of the World Cup after collecting six points from four matches. Malaysia are third behind Kyrgyzstan and Oman, who have nine points, while Taiwan have zero points.
Pan Gon said the two stirring matches reminded him of the great qualities of the Malaysian team, and he is confident of getting a result if his men repeat their performance.
Recalling the match, Pan Gon said in the pre-match press conference in Bishkek yesterday: "We felt very tough, we started well, we didn't give a chance for Kyrgyzstan to be in the game. Finally, we won. That memory will make us strong; in any situation, we never give up.
"I think that game gave us a lot, and in the Asian Cup when we played South Korea, we also scored the first goal and it became 3-1, but we came out again and drew 3-3.
"That kind of mentality is established with the Malaysian national team. I think that's the strength we want to see tomorrow. Until the end, we will fight; we want to bring a win back to Malaysia.
"We know this match is not easy, playing away against Kyrgyzstan. However, all these obstacles will not stop Malaysia because the team's fighting spirit and desire are very high."
Pan Gon said even though Malaysia are without several key players, he believes Harimau Malaya will still put up a tigerish fight against Kyrgyzstan.
But will fighting spirit be enough? The team are missing six key players due to injuries, including four - Ahmad Syihan Hazmi and attackers Faisal Halim, Arif Aiman Hanapi and Darren Lok - who starred in the 4-3 win over Kyrgyzstan.
Pan Gon hopes that such adversities will bring out the best in his team. "This kind of situation will make us stronger," he said.