Naturalized Malaysian player criticized for playing like an amateur

Malaysia won 3-0 against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round, yet Romel Morales, the naturalized player, delivered a disappointing performance that dissatisfied both supporters and analysts.

At the Laos National Stadium on the evening of October 9, Malaysia started the match proactively and quickly dominated with over 70% ball possession. However, despite their overall advantage, their attacking efficiency was significantly hindered by Romel Morales’ inaccurate plays — the Colombian-born player currently representing Johor Darul Ta’zim club.

During his 60 minutes on the field, Morales had the most shots in the match with eight attempts but failed to hit the target even once. He missed four times, had two shots blocked by Lao defenders, and two others were caught by goalkeeper Soukthavy Soundala. The most unfortunate moment was a close-range header in the 39th minute cleared off the line, causing coach Peter Cklamovski to stand up and shake his head.

On social media, Malaysian fans repeatedly criticized the naturalized player's form. One user wrote: “Morales played as if he just started learning football yesterday.” Another sarcastically commented: “If this is what foreign players bring, then local players should just start every match instead.” A harsher remark stated: “Morales shoots like he’s thanking the Lao goalkeeper.”

In contrast to Morales’ lack of luck, Arif Aiman — Malaysia’s local forward — opened the scoring in the 53rd minute with a skillful shot that beat the opposing goalkeeper. By the 68th minute, captain Dion Cools doubled the lead, ironically from a rebound after Morales’ failed attempt, placing the ball perfectly for Cools to score.

Toward the end, Paulo Josue — another naturalized player who replaced Morales — also failed to impress. He missed two clear chances, including a tap-in shot that went wide despite an open goal. Fortunately for Malaysia, Halim sealed the 3-0 win in the 8th minute of added time following a defensive error by Laos.

This victory keeps Malaysia on a three-match winning streak and temporarily at the top of Group F, yet domestic concerns remain. With seven key naturalized players suspended by FIFA, the replacements like Morales and Josue have not matched the expected performance levels.

Experts suggest Malaysia must improve their finishing if they hope to advance far in the 2027 Asian Cup. One commentator noted: “Winning 3-0 doesn’t mean everything is fine. If Morales continues playing like this, Malaysia will face serious problems against stronger teams.”

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