Safawi aims to end his goal drought in friendly

PETALING JAYA: National striker Safawi Rasid has set his eyes on breaking his duck when they take on Fiji in a friendly match at the Cheras Football Stadium tonight.

The 21-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim striker scored two goals for the Harimau Malaya in two identical 4-1 losses to North Korea in the Asian Cup qualifiers last year but has yet to find the back of the net this year.

The Dungun-born player said he is in the best form of his life. He is also his club’s leading goal scorer with 10 goals from 16 starts.

“Last season I scored three goals from nine matches for my club and two goals for the national team. I have improved my tally with my club and now my aim is to score for the national team,” said the nippy attacker.

“Of course the main mission for me is to get the win for the national team. The team always comes first and everyone in the team will work hard for that.”

National team coach Tan Cheng Hoe will be looking to be using the Fiji friendly as an opportunity to test new players and combinations ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup in November.

A win over world No. 165 Fiji will enable Malaysia to better their woeful world ranking of 171.

Malaysia last played Fiji in 2016 with the match ending 1-1. The Fijians under the guidance of French coach Christophe Gamel is expected to field a youthful side against Malaysia.

The Fijians had lost 3-2 to Philippines in the last match they played back in March, while Malaysia’s last match saw them whip minnows Bhutan 7-0 on April 1.

“We are playing at home so we want to win it for our fans here. We expect Fiji to play a robust game because it seems that they have the physical advantage,” said Safawi.

“We have a young squad for this game and we are all hungry to prove ourselves. I think we have a good preparation for the match and I hope we can deliver a positive performance and get the win.”