PETALING JAYA: Safuwan Baharudin has singled out Rafaelson Bezerra, better known as Nguyen Xuan Son, in Vietnam as the biggest danger standing between Selangor and a place in the Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup final.
The experienced defender described the Nam Dinh striker, a naturalised Brazilian playing for the Vietnamese national team, as one of the toughest attackers he has faced ahead of today’s semi-final second leg at the Thien Truong Stadium in Ninh Binh.
“I’ve played against Xuan Son before, and he’s one of the best attackers I’ve faced,” said Safuwan, 34, during the pre-match press conference yesterday.
“In the last match, we managed to keep several of their attackers quiet, but it was still a very difficult game.”
Selangor head into the return leg with a narrow 2-1 advantage after Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes struck twice in the first leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium last week.
Despite carrying the lead, Safuwan warned that the Red Giants cannot afford to sit back against a Nam Dinh side expected to attack aggressively on home ground.
“We know Nam Dinh will come at us strongly today, but we also know one goal is not enough,” he said.
“If we can score first, it will give us a psychological advantage. To win this tie, we believe we need another goal.”
The Singapore international expects a tense encounter but believes Selangor have the experience to handle the pressure.
“It’s going to be a long night because both teams have enough quality to produce a good performance,” he said.
“Our focus is simple, do what is necessary to take that final step toward the final.”
