Syahir uses his smile to steer Malaysia into Asian Games regu final
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian tekong Syahir Rosdi’s smile proved to be an unlikely weapon against pressure as the Golden Tigers fought back to beat the Philippines 2-1 in the sepak takraw regu semi-final and keep their double-gold bid intact at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games today.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian sepak takraw player Syahir Rosdi's infectious smile proved instrumental as the Golden Tigers fought back from a first-game loss to beat the Philippines 2-1 in the semi-final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Despite trailing 15-10 at the start, Syahir's leadership helped Malaysia recover to win 10-15, 15-11, 15-10 and advance to the final.
Known as the "Smiling Assassin," Syahir, who led the men's team to a 2-0 victory over Thailand and won Malaysia's first Asian Games gold since 1990, vowed to give his all in the final. He admitted the Philippines' pressure-heavy game had put his team under stress, but deliberately kept smiling to maintain composure. National coach Ahmad Jais Barharun made tactical changes, bringing in Syahir for Zulkifli Razak and Azlan Alias for Afifuddin Razali, which helped the team regain confidence.
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