PETALING JAYA: From the field to the beach, Kelantan fullback Hafizal Mohd Alias has shown that he is versatile enough to play any form of football.
Hafizal featured for Malaysia in the AFC Beach Football Asian Cup, playing in all three group matches, where they won one and lost two at the Jomtien Beach Arena in Pattaya, Thailand.
Placed in Group D, Malaysia lost to Bahrain 3-4 and Oman 3-6 but ended the campaign by beating regional rivals Vietnam 3-1.
In the Super League, Hafizal, 32, is tasked with stopping attackers but in the beach football competition, he showed his predatory skills by scoring five goals in three matches.
Hafizal’s display and the team’s overall performance have given coach Mohd Saiful Noor hope that the country can compete on the big stage one day.
“The players gave 200 per cent. Even though we weren’t in contention for the quarter-finals, I’m glad they still gave a very good show.
“This is a high-level competition and the experience we gained will be invaluable as we hope to qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup one day.’’
This was Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the Asian Cup, having made their debut as hosts of the 2017 edition.
