Gold medal within reach, thanks to good understanding between players - Luqman Hakim

PETALING JAYA, May 3 (Bernama) -- National football sensation Luqman Hakim Shamsudin believes that good understanding between players in the current national Under 23 (U-23) squad could result in a gold medal at the South East Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

He said the good understanding within the team, coached by Brad Maloney, after several previous friendly gave them an advantage when they take on rival teams at the biennial Games.

"My hope is of course for the team to get the gold, not silver or bronze...just target the gold. The team has made the best preparations, we have played friendlies with Timor Leste and the Philippines.

”These friendlies have made us gel well as a team,” he told reporters after the squad’s last training session at PKNS Sports Complex here today.

They are expected to leave for Hanoi tomorrow (May 4) for the SEA Games.

Luqman Hakim said the squad would do their best and give their all in every match even though they face tough competition in Group B.

Meanwhile, Maloney said although the competition was fierce, his charges would be able to compete if he could bring the team together in the next few days.

He said some players have clear leadership qualities that could be form the core to help Malaysia win the title. 

"I think it’s clear that we have a clear leadership group, players like Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi, Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat, Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani, Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili and Muhammad Azrin Afiq Rusmini. I believe all these players have leadership quality and experience. 

"As for Hadi Fayyadh (Abdul Razak) and Luqman Hakim, great to have them back in the team. They just arrived from abroad, but they are looking good," he added. 

Luqman Hakim plays for KV Kortrijk in the Belgian First Division, while Hadi Fayyadh features for Azul Claro Numazu in the Japanese J3 League.

Drawn in Group B, Malaysia is set to face Thailand on May 7, followed by Laos (May 11), Singapore (May 14) and Cambodia (May 16) at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh. Only the top two teams in the group stage will advance to the semi-finals.

The last time Malaysia won the ‘mother of all medals’ in the biennial Games was in the 2011 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia, with head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee guiding them to victory.

In addition, Maloney announced the list of 24 players who will leave for Hanoi tomorrow through a statement by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), and the 20 players who will compete in the SEA Games are expected to be announced this Friday (May 6). 

Four players who will be left out of the final 20 players will remain in Hanoi as backup to replace any player who may need to be dropped if they test positive for COVID-19 throughout the SEA Games.

The list of 24 players are as follows:

-- BERNAMA