DESPITE Malaysia’s early exit from the SEA Games, one player stood out in the team – centreback Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili.
The 19-year-old played in all four matches in Group B, impressing with his game reading, composure and ability to play from the back with his short and long passes.
Many have praised his performance and that of Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar, although Harimau Muda missed out on a spot in the semi-final.
Ubaidullah believes the good performance in Cambodia will spur him to do well in all competitions in the future, especially the MFL Cup.
Ubaidullah will now return to Terengganu, where he will play for the reserve side, Terengganu II.
And he is not resting on his laurels.
“I am not too satisfied with my performance in Cambodia.
“I know I have to be better and need to work on my decision-making,” said Ubaidullah.
“The SEA Games was a good experience, and I would like to thank coach Ela (E. Elavarasan) for giving me the opportunity to play.
“Players like Harith guided me throughout the competition, making sure we communicated and understood each other well. But we also know that some areas need to be improved. We conceded four in four games, which is not good.
“I have to learn from this experience.”
Asked if the outing in Cambodia would lead to an opportunity with the Super League team, he said he wants to continue his development with the second team.
“I will focus on the MFL Cup and help Terengganu II win. The Super League spot will come when I am ready. There is no point in joining the team and not playing at all.
“I would rather continue playing in the MFL Cup.”
In Group B, Malaysia beat Laos (5-1) and Singapore (7-0) but lost to favourites Thailand (2-0) and Vietnam (2-1).
Despite the painful exit, Malaysia showed they have some top talent, and Ubaidullah can turn out to be one of them.
