Teamwork the key to Cup success, says Safawi

PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) hotshot Safawi Rasid has attributed the team’s Malaysia Cup success to teamwork.

The national striker, who was named the man of the match in Saturday’s final, said the 3-0 win over Kedah at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil would have not been possible without the support of each player.

The 22-year-old scored JDT’s second goal from a sensational freekick in the 35th minute.

Safawi did not feature in JDT’s previous 2-0 win over Kedah in the 2017 Malaysia Cup final but he made amends for that in style by becoming the competition’s top scorer with 11 goals.

“I would like to thank our club owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and everyone involved with JDT,” said the Terengganu-born Safawi after the match.

“I really wanted to play in this year’s final after missing the 2017 final and I’m glad that my dream finally came true this time.

“It’s not easy to be in the JDT starting XI because there’re a lot of top players.

“I’m glad my efforts and hard work got noticed and I thank the coaching staff for helping me improve as a player.”

Safawi will next shift his focus to the national team’s 2022 World Cup2023 Asian Cup Group G qualifying campaign.

Malaysia are scheduled to play a warm-up match against Tajikistan at the National Stadium on Nov 9 before resuming their World Cup qualifying campaign against Thailand on Nov 14 and Indonesia on Nov 19, also at the National Stadium.