Valuable playmaker: Penang’s Firdaus Saiyadi (centre) celebrating with teammates Dylan Wenzel-Halls and Tchetche Kipre. — Penang FC
PETALING JAYA: Goalscorers usually grab the headlines, but those who create the chances deserve equal recognition.
Firdaus Saiyadi reminded everyone why he was once regarded as one of Malaysia’s most promising playmakers, delivering a commanding performance for Penang in their recent Super League match.
The Perak-born midfielder was pivotal in Penang’s emphatic 5-0 demolition of Melaka on Sunday.
He registered two assists and dictated the tempo with incisive through passes and intelligent movement in midfield, ensuring Penang’s direct style of play flowed seamlessly.
The victory lifted Penang to ninth place in the league standings with 14 points from 14 matches. Melaka remain 12th, having collected just six points from 13 games.
“I’m glad the touches are coming back and it feels good to contribute to the team’s win in whatever way I can.
“Getting two starts in the new year also feels good,” said Firdaus, affectionately known as Fie.
He also started in Penang’s 2-0 Super League victory over Terengganu on Jan 3.
Firdaus first rose to prominence at the age of 17 when he featured for Perak in the Youth Cup and President Cup.
His potential was further recognised in 2014, when he earned a short training stint with A-League club Newcastle Jets.
He made his professional debut for Perak in 2015 and went on to become a key playmaker for the club over the next decade.
He lifted the Malaysia Cup in 2018 and helped Perak finish runners-up in the Super League the same year.
Now 29, Firdaus has long been touted as a gifted midfielder, but limited playing time in recent seasons stalled his progress. Even after joining Penang last year, minutes were hard to come by.
However, he has featured for more than 90 minutes in each of the last two matches, and the freedom to express himself on the pitch has been refreshing.
“I stayed calm and believed that my time would come. As a player, you always want to play, but when things don’t go your way, you have to grit your teeth and keep working in training,” he said.
“I did that, and I’m happy the last two games have gone well. Now I want to stay consistent and keep providing assists for my teammates.”
Against Melaka, Penang needed just nine devastating minutes to put the result beyond doubt.
The Panthers struck four times between the fourth and 13th minutes before adding a fifth late on to secure their second win of the year in emphatic fashion.
Argentine holding midfielder and captain Stefano Brundo set the tone with a quick brace in the fourth and ninth minutes.
Australian striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls then compounded Melaka’s misery, scoring twice in the 11th and 13th minutes after latching onto two superb through balls from Firdaus to complete the first-half rout.
The icing on the cake arrived in the 86th minute through Nigerian centreback Faith Obilor.
It was a disappointing debut for Melaka’s new head coach E. Elavarasan, who handed first appearances to several new signings.
Wingback V. Ruventhiran, Montenegrin centreback Argzim Redzovic, South Korean midfielders Do Dong-hyun and Pak Kwang-il, and Bosnian playmaker Dino Kalesic were all introduced, but none managed to make the desired impact.
