PETALING JAYA: There is no doubt that Arif Aiman Hanapi is the best footballer in Malaysia at the moment.
But is he one of the best in the region?
The 22-year-old is certainly heading that way based on his first game in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite against Shanghai Port on Wednesday. Malaysia drew 2-2 with Shanghai at the Pudong Football Stadium.
The three-time Malaysian Football League Most Valuable Player scored two goals to help the Southern Tigers get a point against one of the biggest teams in the continent.
On the mark: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Arif Aiman Hanapi celebrating after scoring his first goal against Shanghai Port. — JDT FC
Arif pulled off two brilliant individual goals when he punished a sleeping Shanghai defence by easily dribbling past three defenders before beating goalkeeper Yan Junling with a left-footed finish from outside the penalty box in the 43rd minutes.
The second was in the 56th minute when Arif received a long diagonal pass from Colombian striker Jorge Obregon that left him one-on-one with defender Wei Zhen but he came through to unleash a simple left-footed finish inside the box.
Shanghai’s goals were scored by Brazilian strikers Gustavo Henrique (48th minute) and Willian Popp (73rd).
Arif deservedly won the man-of-the-match award.
“I’m grateful to be playing on this stage. It was a difficult game. No matter the outcome, we gave our 100% against Shanghai in Pudong,” said the mercurial winger, who has scored three goals in the MFL this season.
“All of us showed a lot of character and sacrifices to get to this point, especially when playing in front of a fervent away crowd.
“It’s my dream to play regularly on these stages and I look forward to the upcoming games.”
Meanwhile, JDT coach Hector Bidoglio was satisfied with a point.
“It was a challenging game but JDT played very well.
“We played solid but the opponents were equally good,” said the Venezuelan.
“We need to score more and continue growing. Earning a point when you play away is good. We need to prove ourselves in every game but I’m happy with the performance of our players.”
JDT’s next game in the ACL Elite will be against another Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Oct 1.
The Malaysian club will now return home to resume domestic duties when they take on Kelantan in the Super League at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday.
