ISKANDAR PUTERI – Harimau Malaya winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim is beginning to feel the pressure of trying to find his goal-scoring touch this season.
This is especially so after he failed to score in Malaysia’s 1-0 win over Turkmenistan in a Tier 1 international friendly at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here last night.
Faisal, fondly called Mickey, described the situation as disappointing but said it would not deter him from continuing to work hard to get his name on the score sheet.
“Definitely, as a player I feel pressured in the search for goals but I’m still happy that the team won. Maybe I need to work and pray harder to taste success.
“I need just one goal to end the drought and more goals will follow. Tonight (last night) I had my chances but just couldn’t convert,” the 25-year-old Selangor player told a post-match press conference last night.
In the clash at the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) home ground, Harimau Selatan winger Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid scored the winner in the 29th minute before Turkmenistan goalkeeper Rasul Charyyev pulled off several saves from Faisal’s dangerous attempts.
At the club level, Faisal, who moved from Terengganu to Selangor this season, has yet to find the net after five matches in the Super League.
Last season, he netted 11 goals in the Malaysia League – six in Super League, three in FA Cup and two in Malaysia Cup – and scored nine goals for the national team, including four at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup 2022.
Faisal said the current national squad had moved to a higher level with the presence of quality Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players and availability of good training facilities and match venue in Johor.
“We cannot deny that all players are at their best like the JDT players, and I’m lucky to have been selected this time as I get the opportunity to train in Johor using the best facilities.
“This is what we need to help the team perform better. We have another assignment against Hong Kong which needs the focus of all players as every match has its own challenges,” he said.
Kim Pan-gon’s charges will play Hong Kong on March 28 here at the end of FIFA’s window period for international friendlies. – Bernama, March 24, 2023
