Malaysian PM satisfied with team's performance

The National Stadium was filled to the brim with yellow and blue as football fans watched the titanic clash between Malaysia and Singapore in the return match of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifier.

Many others also packed mamak stalls and restaurants to watch the action live on television.
Soon after the game began at 8.45pm, hundreds who claimed they had tickets were locked out.
They believed fake tickets were sold to unsuspecting buyers, while some claimed syndicates were involved in over-selling the tickets.

Many fans came to the stadium hours earlier to avoid the rush and massive traffic jams occurred on major roads leading to Bukit Jalil.

Puteri Ariane Yasmin Middleton was already there with her family at 2pm.
Senior manager Khairul Imran Adnan, 49, said he and his friends took the day off to watch the game.

“We arrived at around 4.30pm and we were excited to watch our team play,” he said.
Financial consultant Jasnie Syukur, 30, who was at a mamak stall in SS2, Petaling Jaya, said he rushed there from work to catch the game.

Kenneth Raj, 24, said the Harimau Malaya team had improved since it won the Suzuki Cup.
He said the match against Singapore had united Malaysians who supported different English Premier League teams a week earlier.

In Jitra, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak gave two thumbs up to Harimau Malaya for a solid performance against Singapore.

He said the national team, which faced a two-goal deficit, fought hard but could not overcome their opponents.

“This is not the end of the road for them. They should learn from this,” he said after watching the match at Dewan Wawasan.

At the National Stadium, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said both teams performed well.

“We must also applaud some 85,000 Malaysian fans who supported our team with high spirits until the end,” he said after the match.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysia's performance had improved significantly compared to last year.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Shabery Cheek said Malaysians should not be discouraged for not qualifying for the World Cup and that he was satisfied with Harimau Malaya's performance.