PETALING JAYA: At just 22, Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili is already showing dedication beyond his years – juggling club and country commitments as he prepares for the biggest match of his career.
Ubaidullah and Co will take on defending champions Vietnam in the first leg of the Hyundai AFF Cup semi-final at the Cheras Football Stadium today.
Even while on international duty, the versatile defender joined Terengganu for friendly matches to build understanding with new coach Nafuzi Zain, before returning to train with the national squad ahead of the semi-finals.
“I’m young and game to do my part for both sides,” said Ubaidullah, known to teammates as Ubai.
“My wish is to help the national team go as far as possible, and with Terengganu, I want to make sure I’m assimilated with the team for the new season.”
His focus now is on stopping a rampant Vietnam side who have scored 13 goals in four matches throughout the tournament.
“Vietnam are the favourites in this tournament, and we are the underdogs. But we will do our best to win, we are taking it like it is a final,” he said.
Ubaidullah and centreback partner Rodney Celvin Akwensivie face the task of containing Vietnam’s naturalised forwards – Rafaelson Bezerra (Nguyen Xuan Son), Hendrio Araujo (Do Hoang Hen) and Geovane Magno (Nguyen Tai Loc).
“Rodney and I have a very different styles of play. I think I mix well with him, the way he plays. Rodney is more like my brother, he’s always covering me,” Ubaidullah said.
“He’s a very good, senior player, and I’ve learned a lot from him. We try to do our best every game.”
With a final within reach, Ubaidullah believes anything is possible on home soil.
“We cannot lose at home. Win is the first choice, and if not, we draw – it’s good to bring that motivation to the second-leg in Hanoi on Wednesday,” he said.
On familiar faces from the youth tournaments, including Vietnam’s young striker Nguyen Dinh Bac, Ubaidullah said, “Every game is a busy night for defenders. If we work as a unit, we can stop them scoring – and we can score too.”
