Arsenal Asia Tour: Part II – Malaysia XI vs Arsenal Friendly Match

I left the office after 1 on Wednesday afternoon and headed for Akak’s. Had lunch there, performed prayers then got ready to go to the stadium with my nephew, el niño.

Akak dropped us off near the stadium – I’d rather walk than sit in the car and endure the building traffic – and we walked to the green gate. As Audrey put it, a humongous crowd was already there waiting to be admitted in. We *ahem* cut queue looking for Audrey and Zack but couldn’t locate them. So we waited to be admitted, deciding to look for them once inside.

The gates finally opened and after going through security checks (dear guards, why disallow water bottles but not ciggies??), we rushed in and went to Block 104. It didn’t provide a good view as it faced the edge of the pitch so we rushed out again and re-entered Block 106. Ahhh, much better. We finally met Audrey and Zack and went about to find the best spot to sit. I must say we chose very well, our seats faced almost the middle of the pitch and there was a railing behind our seats meaning no excited fans could kick us from behind (I hate it when that happens in the movie theatres). We settled in and braced ourselves for the long wait (it was just after 6 and kick-off was scheduled for 2045).

Akak had insisted that el niño bring his homework along and after much drama, he finally packed it. I persuaded him to do it and he obliged. I supervised him while taking in the atmosphere around. Then we went out after 7 to have a look around before heading for prayers. There were some Gooners who performed their prayers outside, good on them for not forgetting their religious obligation ;’)

The stadium had filled up somewhat when we came back and at around 8, the Malaysian team came out for their warm-up. We, being the classy Gooners that we are, greeted them with cheers. Unlike ManUre fans who booed the local team when ManUre came two years ago. One of the banners inside the stadium summed it up nicely – ‘Gunners in my heart - Tigers are my soul’ (the local team is also known as Harimau Malaya; harimau means tiger inn Malay). It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘club vs country’; we just chose to support both. I did say we’re classy, didn’t I?!

The Arsenal with the ‘Gunners in my heart - Tigers are my soul’ banner at the background during the training session
Most of us supporters were rooting for both teams

Then the Arsenal squad came on and we cheered for them as well. There were some fans who were determined to make their mark (and deafen everyone else) with their horns and the noise went on continuously. Then both teams left the pitch to get ready before re-entering the pitch. The giant screen showed the team sheets (thank God for that because like the day before, I had trouble hearing the announcement) then the teams came marching in, Arsenal wearing the 125th anniversary away kit for the first time ;)

They faced the grand stand (royal audience and all) – we were sitting on the opposite side – shook hands with the Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan then shook hands with each other (must say I expected to sing the national anthem but strangely we weren’t asked to. I wouldn’t have minded). Then the match began!

It was only five minutes into the match when Wilshere was felled by Aidil. Our own Rambo took the penalty kick and slotted it neatly into the left side. 1 nil to The Arsenal! The Malaysian team didn’t let this intimidate them and continued to defend; in fact I thought the defence was pretty good. It’s only the attack that let the Malaysian team down. Then in the 37th minute, Rambo picked Theo from the middle of the pitch who lobbed the ball in. Beautiful. 2 nil to The Arsenal.

Then it was half-time. El niño wanted to buy some drinks and I was too lazy to accompany him so told him to go on his own. He didn’t come back until the match almost got under way again which worried me so I left to look for him. There was a brief period of panic when I couldn’t find him outside but he came back shortly after. He did get lost but soldiered on. Bless my little nephew ;’)

Arsenal made eight substitutions with only the new kids on the block, Ryo and Carl, and Rambo remaining. Then in the 57th minute, Rosický fed Vela the ball and in true Vela style, he hoisted in a cheeky chip in (even Cesc commented on that!). More of that please, Vela.

Arsenal made four substitutions in the 66th minute, bringing on Robin and Nasri (for Denilson and Rambo), Arshavin for Ryo and Sagna for Carl, to loud cheers from the crowd. Oh I must mention that there were misses too, in typical Arsenal fashion: Rambo and Rosický who shot the ball well above the bar and Vela whose shot hit a defender. Rosický made amends when he headed in Shava’s pass at the death.

The match ended all too soon (as at the Emirates, there were quite a few who left early to beat the traffic…) but we stayed on for the prize ceremony (cheers to @gunemall) before we left.

The Arsenal left Malaysia yesterday and continued on to China. They will play Hangzhou Greentown tomorrow. When will we see you again?