Football
ESPN staff 9y

Dollah: Kunalan right-back for Suzuki Cup first leg final against Thailand

Malaysia coach Dollah Salleh has confirmed that S. Kunalan will occupy the right-back position in Wednesday's first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final against Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

The 28-year-old winger -- who recently moved from Selangor to Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) -- was impressive in the position during Malaysia's miraculous 4-2 comeback win in Hanoi in the second leg of the semifinal against Vietnam.

Coach Dollah had replaced regular right-back Mahali Jasuli with Kunalan after the national team's 2-1 first leg defeat at home on Dec. 7.

"Kunalan does most of his talking during matches. He hardly speaks in training. He has been consistent and will play as right-back in the final if there are no injuries," Dollah told New Straits Times.

The coach said that he was impressed by Kunalan's work ethic during the second leg semifinal. "He hardly gave room to Vietnam's forwards and also made it a point to track back when possession was lost in forward areas."

Kunalan -- who was a member of the Malaysian team that won their only Suzuki Cup title in 2010, beating Indonesia in the final -- played as a right-back in a few matches for Selangor last season. Dollah tried him out in the position in September during the 4-1 win against Cambodia in a friendly.

Asked about the coach's preference, Kunalan said he is prepared to play in any position in the final.

"The coach knows best. If he wants me to play right-back against Thailand, I will accept the responsibility," he told New Straits Times. "I had no problems fitting into my new position in Hanoi. But, of course, it was very challenging. Furthermore, the cold weather made it difficult."

Kunalan said Malaysia have the pedigree to annex a second elite ASEAN title.

"We were a young team in 2010 and won despite the inexperience," he said. "We have grown in experience and furthermore seniors like Shukor Adan and Indra Putra Mahayuddin have added depth to the team."

Kunalan added that the dramatic comeback win in Hanoi has given Harimau Malaya the confidence to take on fancied Thailand in Bangkok in the first leg of the final.

"We are in the final because of the hard work we put in. Some teams may have had underestimated us, but we won big games that mattered. Our first ever win over Vietnam in Hanoi has given us the confidence for the first leg in Thailand."

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