SEPANG — National striker Muhammad Safawi Rasid who is in sparkling form since making a comeback to the squad hopes to produce a sizzling performance in the two Tier 1 International friendly matches against Syria and China in Chengdu, China later this week.
The Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) striker who had scored in two consecutive friendly matches for the national squad hopes to reproduce that inspiring performance once again if given the chance to play in both matches by South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon.
“If given a chance, I pledge to give my best performance to ensure victory.
“We have a good chance of winning,” said Safawi when met at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Terminal 2 before taking off to Chengdu, China with the Harimau Malaya squad.
Though the 26-year-old expressed confidence, the Harimau Malaya squad cannot afford to be complacent since Syria and China are ranked among the top 100 teams in the Fifa world ranking as compared to Malaysia who are 136th and both have a number of players based in Europe.
Safawi had a good outing on Chinese soil in the past since he had scored twice for the national Under-23 squad that reached the quarterfinal stage of the Asia Cup Under-23 tournament in 2018.
Safawi had also scored against a Chinese club, Shandong Luneng when representing JDT in the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Group E match but though JDT lost the match 1-2, Safawi’s goal was voted the Best Goal of the Tournament.
The Harimau Malaya squad, currently ranked 136th in the Fifa world ranking, will play Syria (ranked 94th) on Wednesday and China (80th) on Saturday at a yet-to-be-decided venue.
The two Tier 1 International friendlies are important to prepare the squad for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in November, followed by the 2023 Asia Cup competition in Qatar, starting January next year.
In the run-up to China, Malaysia have played four international friendlies and registered victories in all four, beating Turkmenistan 1-0, Hong Kong 2-0 in Johor in March and defeated the Solomon Islands 4-1 before whipping Papua New Guinea 10-0 in Terengganu, in June. — September 4, 2023