Young Tigers came up against a strong Central Coast Mariners and it was only a late goal which saw the Malaysian Under-22 side fall to their first defeat of their Australian tour in Central Coast yesterday.
The Mariners fielded a mixture of senior A-League and youth players but yet found the Tigers a tough side to crack at the Mingara Athletics Track in Tumbi Umbi before Daniel McBreen scored the only goal in a 1-0 win midway through the second half.
After beating Sydney FC's youth team 3-0 on Tuesday, coach Ong Kim Swee rotated his squad and fielded a strengthened side in an attempt to match Central Coast's experienced players.
Kim Swee said the game was just the kind his players needed as Young Tigers faced up to their strongest opponents yet on tour as the Mariners, who finished second in the A-League last season, are preparing for their second AFC Champions League appearance.
"It was a good match in terms of the standard of the opposition as Central Coast fielded close to their strongest side.
"They are a team preparing to play in the AFC Champions League and move the ball very will, just like what Japan did to us (in the Olympic qualifiers).
"Our players really need this type of matches and it was a good experience for them.
"We learned a few things and managed to hold until late in the game when they scored after we made several changes in the second half," said Kim Swee when reached in Sydney yesterday.
Kim Swee went for experience this time with defenders Muslim Ahmad, Fadhli Shas, Mahalli Jasuli and Zubir Azmi lining up in front of second-choice goalkeeper Izham Tarmizi Roslan.
K. Gurusamy combined with young sensation Nazmi Faiz Mansor in midfield as Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor and Fandi Othman operated on the flanks in support of forwards Ahmad Fakri Saarani and Ahmad Hazwan Bakri.
"I changed the side to keep the players on their toes and see whether they can play the same standard of football. We need to maintain the same intensity week in and week out which will help us in our preparation," said Kim Swee, who is preparing his side for three Olympic qualifiers against Bahrain, Japan and Syria and the Asian Under-22 Championship qualifiers next year.
Young Tigers get another crack at the Mariners on Monday after they agreed to step in for Newcastle Jets, who were unable to fulfil their commitment for the next friendly match.
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