KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s women’s football team will take inspiration from the recent achievements of Harimau Malaya and Harimau Muda when they compete in an international friendly tournament hosted by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
The Malayan Tigresses have set their sights on qualifying for the semi-finals.
Speaking to Scoop, Malayan Tigress player Siti Nurfaizah Binti Saidin said the players are pumped up to give their best as they are motivated by the men’s teams.
“The recent success of Harimau Malaya and Harimau Muda in booking their spots in the respective Asian football championships has motivated us as a team to do better for Malaysia.
“We have learned from our previous tournament setbacks, and the atmosphere within the squad is great.
“We all have the hunger to achieve our target of reaching the semi-finals in this year’s tournament.
“We have been training intensively, and we have all been fighting really hard to get selected in the starting eleven.
“The squad is a blend of young and experienced players like myself, and we are ready to give our hearts and souls to bring glory to Malaysia by defeating teams like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in this year’s tournament,” said Nurfaizah.
The 21-year-old centre-back who plays for Malaysian University in the National Women’s League (NWL) further said that she is ready to repay the faith given by Malaysia women’s head coach Soleen Al-Zoubi for selecting her to be a part of the squad despite just recovering from an ankle injury.
“I thank our coach (Soleen) for selecting me despite my recent injury.
“I’m ready to repay her faith in me by giving my 200% on the pitch through consistent performance in my attacking and defensive duties,” added Nurfaizah.
World number 89 ranked Malaysia are in Group A with 170th-ranked Saudi Arabia and 157th-ranked Pakistan.
Group B will feature the 87th-ranked Laos, the 138th-ranked Lebanon, and the 171st-ranked Bhutan.
The national women’s team will play Saudi Arabia on September 18 and Pakistan on September 21 at King Fadh Sports City Stadium, Al-Taif.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the semi-finals. — September 16, 2023