Khairul Asyraf Sahizah of Perak (top) vies for the ball with a Perlis player during the Sukma football semi-final match on Sunday. Perak won 3-2 with Khairul scoring a double. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/ The Star
KANGAR: Striker Khairul Asyraf Sahizah is out to make amends when Perak take on Johor in the Sukma football final at the Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium in Kangar on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old was a key player in the highly-rated Perak team which lost 3-0 to Sabah in the Pahang Sukma final two years ago and the youngster missed a good chance to score in the match.
The Teluk Intan local said that he couldn’t sleep well following the defeat and it took him two weeks to bounce back from the disappointment.
“I felt I was responsible for the defeat to Sabah in 2012 because I missed an early chance ... my goal would have changed the outcome of the match,” said Khairul, who has scored four goals so far at this year’s Sukma.
“We are now a step closer to winning the gold medal and I want to right my wrong ... I think I’m wiser and better now and I badly want to win the gold medal.”
The match between Perak and Johor is set to be an exciting affair.
In the ongoing President’s Cup, both teams collected 37 points from 18 matches but Perak topped Group B on better goal difference. Both teams are in the semi-finals, to be held on June 9.
Khairul believes his team are familiar with Johor’s strengths and it will be another tough match for them but reckons that his team-mates are hungrier than Johor for the gold medal.
“We have several players from the last Sukma in the current squad ... everyone wants to prove a point and redeem themselves by winning the gold medal,” said Khairul.
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