Shahrel wants more play time against Thais in return leg

KUALA LUMPUR: Give me 90 minutes, not nine minutes, please, pleads national striker Muhammad Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi ahead of Malaysia’s AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final, returnleg clash against Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Shahrel, who was an 81st-minute substitute in the 0-0 first-leg draw at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil last Saturday, said it was too short a time for him to make an impact.

He hoped that head coach Tan Cheng Hoe would give him a longer time, if possible even 90 minutes, to adapt to the game tempo for him to be effective.

“Frankly, I was not satisfied with the bit-part role I played in the first leg as I could not do much. I didn’t have time to get used to the fast pace of the game,” said the PKNP FC player, who was loaned out to Nakhon Ratchasima FC, a club in Thailand top league.

The 24-year-old Shahrel, who won the Best Striker accolade at the 2017 National Football Awards, said it was up to the head coach whether to give him a longer playing time or stick to status quo in the return leg.

“What is important is the team’s success,” said Shahrel, who was confident that Malaysia could defeat Thailand and qualify for the final.

To do that, he said they would have to be able to absorb the expected relentless pressure from the War Elephants as well as handle the vociferous support of the Thais in the away game.

“The atmosphere there is expected to be red-hot as the Thai fans are more fanatical than ours. But if we can maintain our style of play, we may be able to get a positive result,” he said. - Bernama