PETALING JAYA: Just three months ago, Selangor’s Safuwan Baharudin found it tough to fill in the shoes of former football captains like Brendan Gan and Taylor Regan.
But now, fans are cheering his name and young players are looking up to him for guidance as Safuwan has aced his role as the captain of the Red Giants.
His leadership skills were in full flow during the FA Cup quarter-final second-leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Saturday when Selangor had to go all the way to a penalty shootout, winning 5-3 against the Kuching City to book their spot in the semi-finals.
They lost the first leg 1-2 and were down to nine men in the second but still managed to edge their opponents 3-2 for a 4-4 draw on aggregate that forced the game into penalty shootout.
Safuwan was instrumental throughout the game with his commanding presence and strong defensive displays, especially in the extra time.
And in the shootout, Safuwan decided to take the first one to deflect the pressure on the other four takers.
Coach Nidzam Jamil said Safuwan was like an “assistant coach” on the field for him.
Safuwan said his rapport with the boys had kept him going as a captain.
“My communication with the boys is good. We are a close-knit team and I’m the bridge between the coach and players,” said the 32-year-old Singaporean international.
“All of us have the same vision.
“It’s not easy to have nights like we had against Kuching City on Saturday. We were under pressure, especially when Kuching took the early goal.
“As the game went on, I was the only import left on the field. It wasn’t easy to take charge when we were nine men down but we stuck together.
Selangor will play Terengganu in the first-leg semi-finals on July 20 at the Sultan Mizan Stadium, Gong Badak and followed by the second leg on Aug 3 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium.
