PETALING JAYA: Winger Engku Nur Shakir Engku Yacob has endured limited game time this season, patiently waiting for a breakthrough in his career with Terengganu.
That moment finally arrived on Friday, when the 27-year-old made a compelling case for more minutes by scoring a ‘perfect’ hattrick in Terengganu’s emphatic 5-0 win over University Malaya (UM)-Damansara in the second leg of their Malaysia Cup last 16 game at Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak.
Shakir’s treble powered the Turtles to a dominant 7-0 aggregate victory and sealed their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face either Perak or Kuala Lumpur.
He struck in the 33rd, 37th and 62nd minutes, while Brazilian playmaker Rainderson da Costa, better known as Careca, added two more goals in the 45th and 87th minutes.
Shakir, who has been with Terengganu since 2018, was over the moon.
“I want to thank God as this is my first-ever hattrick,” said Shakir.
“I want to thank my teammates and family for their constant support and prayers during the match. I hope this will be the beginning of a consistent scoring run. It has given me extra motivation to keep performing.
“This season started slowly for me because of limited playing time, but I’m grateful for more opportunities now on the pitch.”
Shakir opened the scoring with a well taken header from a superb cross by Tajikistani striker Shervoni Mabatshoev. He doubled his tally moments later with a poacher’s finish, tapping in Careca’s cross with his left foot.
The winger completed a memorable night by unleashing a thunderous right-footed strike from outside the penalty area that left UM-Damansara goalkeeper Haziq Mukhriz Hasemuddin with no chance.
Shakir started just five of Terengganu’s 10 Super League matches, though he featured from the start in both legs of the Malaysia Cup.
In the FA Cup, he played three matches, starting only once.
“I believe the time has come for me to firmly establish myself in the team,” he added.
