The former Thailand club Police Tero FC player urged his teammates to stay focused and try to beat the young and energetic Indonesia on Sunday in a bid to qualify for the semifinals. — Picture from Instagram/Dominic Tan JJ
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Harimau Malaya centreback Dominic Tan would rather not dwell on his costly mistake against defending champions Vietnam in the 2020 AFF Cup on Sunday instead wants to focus on the next match against Indonesia.
Dominic, who replaced skipper Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak after the latter was stretched out in the 24th minute, said he had moved on by rectifying the mistake that led to Vietnam taking the lead in the 32nd minute through Nguyen Quang Hai.
“For me everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it was not a problem for me. I know why I did that and as long as I know what I did was wrong, I can just improve and it’s fine.
“I don’t need to prove to anybody because me and my team are doing it for family and country. Most importantly we want to give our best games and get three points (against Indonesia),” he told a virtual press conference today.
Some pundits have questioned his action of putting his hand at the back of the body while trying to fend off a cross on the left side, which led to Vietnam drawing first blood in the Group B match at Bishan Stadium. Malaysia lost 0-3, denting their semifinal hopes.
The former Thailand club Police Tero FC player urged his teammates to stay focused and try to beat the young and energetic Indonesia on Sunday in a bid to qualify for the semifinals.
Yesterday, national head coach Tan Cheng Hoe confirmed that two key centrebacks, Mohamad Aidil Zafuan and Shahrul Mohd Saadwere, have been ruled out of Malaysia’s final Group B match against Indonesia.
This will surely open the door for Dominic to play centreback along with FC Midtjylland defender Dion Cools, who is expected to join the squad in Singapore tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Dominic admitted that the lack of match time with Tero was the reason he decided to move to Sabah FC next season. — Bernama