Huge crowd an extra motivation for us to win, says defender Shahrul
PETALING JAYA: The bigger, the better. Malaysian will face Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup Group A match in Hanoi today and defender Shahrul Saad said his teammates were ready to face their opponents and the big crowd expected to turn up at the stadium.
Instead of cowing under pressure, Shahrul said they would relish the challenge playing against the huge crowd as it would give them the extra motivation to win.
“I heard tickets for today’s match were sold out. We’ll face Vietnam with their fans rooting for them.
“This will not intimidate us but will only give us extra confidence,” said the 25-year-old centreback who recently won the Malaysia Cup with Perak.
Shahrul added that Malaysia played in front of a capacity crowd in Phnom Penh but coolly defeated Cambodia 1-0.
They have also beaten Laos 3-1 and will complete their fixtures against Myanmar at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Nov 26. The Harimau Malaya can seal a spot in the knockout stages if they upstage Vietnam.
Shahrul, who partnered Johor Darul Ta’zim centreback Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak in defence in the first two matches, said Vietnam have a number of attacking threats and they can’t afford to let their guard down.
“As a team, we have to defend well. Vietnam are known for their attacking prowess and speedy players. It’s our job to slow them down and seal the win. We’ll surely keep tabs on their key players,” he said.