15 Malaysia - World Cup Qualifier, Malaysia vs Indonesia

A classic at Bukit Jalil

Once again I found myself at Bukit Jalil for a World Cup Qualifier. Unfortunately I missed the previous game, where Malaysia beat Thailand 2-1, as I had to prioritise going to see The Cavemen at Rumah Api. Following the Thai victory, it gave the Malaysians a boost following their 1-0 loss away to Vietnam, and kept their hopes of world cup qualification alive, setting up this match perfectly.

As it was a local derby against their local rivals, it was a sell out of 80,000. Thankfully I scored my tickets way in advance, so had no trouble on that front. This was evident as it took nearly two and a half hours to get to the stadium from door to door. Sinchan had provided the perfect hook up once again, and got us parking opposite the stadium at his friends house, the drummer from SARJANT HASSAN. It was so busy that there were huge queues outside the turnstiles, and it got to a stage where the gate staff were just automatically scanning people (and us) into the stadium without checking the tickets. 

We managed to get a spot on the aisle, on the cusp of the ultras section, so we got a great view and place to absorb the atmosphere and singing. After a nervy start, Malaysia settled our nerves with a spectacular free kick that sent the crowd into rapture. The Indonesian fans were irrate, and they started throwing objects, flares, and smoke bombs at the Malaysian fans. This just made the crowd get louder, and the party atmosphere was in full flow.

One common rule amongst ultras sections across the world is 'no photos' (hence my lack of), and the leaders in the stands do well to police this. In the second half we were joined by Ken, who I observed for a while. He had a Manchester United badge on his phone, and he shared a video of the atmosphere on his Facebook story; and over the course of the rest of the game he was checking it every few minutes to see how many likes he had. He left early, probably to beat the traffic. 

In the second half, the same Malaysia player scored again, this time at our end, and the place erupted once more. For the next few minutes, in addition to the cheer and chants of the ultras, there were Mexican waves going both ways round the stadium, on all three levels. As well as that, many people were holding up the torches on their mobile phones, creating a unique sight that was akin to a Bray Wyatt entrance in wrestling. 

The other hero of the game was the reserve goal keeper who came on during the first half. Not only did he keep a clean sheet, he also saved an Indonesian penalty in the final stages, to rub further salt in the wounds of the team that are bottom of the group. The game finished with a salute from the players and the whole stadium belting out the national anthem, which brought goose pimples all over my body. 

If Malaysia win out in their final three games, or win two and draw one against the right opponents, then they are going to the next stages for World Cup qualification. The tail of the tiger, continues to dream.