We won.. but we lost.. and the fans were superbly winners! #AFFSuzukiCup2014

To quote a friend of mine, 

"I've been to many world cups, champions league, EPL, Ajax games, el classicos, but what i experience in Bukit Jalil last night was out of this world! Kudos to the Ultras!!" IFRW

I have to concur. I've not been to as many games as him though (he is one serious hardcore supporter I can tell you that, seram woo.. haha) but I've been to as many Malaysia's game in the past.I've blogged most of my Malaysia experience in the past. But what transpired last Saturday in SNBJ- was simply breath taking and i can say that I am proud to be a supporter! Harimau Malaya selamanya! 

I was with Shah, Kamal and Shah's MA. We were all from the same vicinity (Bukit Jelutong).We took the LRT option. Some smart aleck told us it would be easier for us to go back home if we park in Salak South. Ok la.. why not, trusted friend, sounds good. Unfortunately upon arriving at the station we realized that it was the same line! hahaha Only one and the one on the opposite side would be Sri Petaling! There is no way though to park in Sri Petaling!! haha wakenabeb bcoz in the end our friend drove there instead of parking in Salak South ! 

 The LRTS were jammed packed. Memang penuh! It was 4pm and we had to squeeze our bodies into the LRT carriage. The spirit and hope was there. Malaysians came in droves from all generations. Atok bawa cucu, balak bawa awek, nenek bawa cougar.. hahaha macam2! I love this feeling of positivity. All of us knew we lost to Thailand 2-0 earlier but somehow we knew we may overcome the deficit. 

 The parade was damn cool. Mega Cortez they call it and reminded me a lot of Dutch Army when we were in Marseille 1998. The atmosphere was electrifying eventhough it was raining. Nobody cared about the rain. It was definitely 100 000 supporters in Bukit Jalil that day if not more. Everybody was optimistic and was looking forward for the game. 

 Inside the stadium, it was superbly goosebumps all over. The ultras were chanting and singing all their might, and the non ultras followed in style. The atmosphere was electrifying! The Thais must have been worried for their players as the noise can certainly affects ones spirit and determination. We were the ultra docs! 10 of us..all clinical specialists together in tandem reliving our youth. At the same time, supporting our national team to win this cup! It was possible despite seemed impossible :) This was definitely not present previously. Paling kuat pun gendang and inilah barisan kita. Nowadays, Ultras will chant few songs to the delight of the crowd.. again and again! All the time! One other difference i see from the past is the number of people performing prayers. in the 80/s and 90s you hardly see anybody praying before the game but nowadays it is a common sight. Sapa yang tak sembahyang tu sure terasa nye.. sahabat syaitankah mereka.. hahaha 

 When we were up 3-0 courtesy of Safiq Rahim' David Beckham style of freekick, the crowd went wild! Who would have thought we were winning despite the setback! The dream was real! The supporters felt the fairy tale will end with the neding that we wanted! 10 more minutes guys.. 10 more minutes!! Everybody was singing and chanting! Happily together in the stadium atmosphere.. Im sure the players down there did not expect it as well. 

 It was not meant to be. The thais fought back and scored 2. Our hearts sank.. really low when the 2nd goal was scored. But somehow we continued to cheer our team. We saw our team played thier might but perhaps the Thais were the better team. We cheered till the end and when the referee blew the final whistle, then it was to the Thais. The thais won the cup.

We won the game 3-2 but we lost via aggregate, 4-3 because of their earlier win in Bangkok. We were shattered but funnily as compared to the games we lost in the past, the fans were happy. Happy because they saw how we lost. Kalah bermaruah. And i guess as fans that is what we wanted to see. The display of courage and fighting spirit. We saw that. The nation saw that. 

To the ultras, you've created a different atmosphere for supporter who comes to the stadium. It makes the experience totally euphoric and exciting. One can have the comfort of home watching live on telly, but the goosebumps you get at the stadium is totally out of this world!

Kudos Malaysia!

Kudos Dollah!

Kudos Ultras!

and Kudos to all Malaysia fans in SNBJ that night :)