Someone to rely on: Marhan Jalil (left) has been outstanding in defence.
PETALING JAYA: Nothing will stop Faizal Saari from playing, not even a heavily bandaged hand.
That’s the commitment shown by Faizal, who will again be one of the players Malaysia will bank on to beat Asian Games champions Japan in a must-win super four match to qualify for the Asia Cup final in Jakarta today.
Faizal, despite suffering injuries to his left hand and foot against South Korea on Saturday, carried out his midfield duties impeccably against India where they drew 3-3 on Sunday.
Gritting his teeth, he went about troubling the Indians with his dribbling skills and close ball control.
Despite the discomfort, he still wants to be a part of the team.
“I have always told my teammates to give everything even if it means getting hit by shots. You will feel the pain for a while but you’ll be fine,” said Faizal.
“Just focus on the game. We are playing for the country.
“No matter how bad my hand is, I’m going to play. That’s what I’m here for, to help Malaysia win.”
Besides Faizal, captain Marhan Jalil is the other elder statesman in the team who has been outstanding in defence.
Meanwhile, the Midas touch of Razie Rahim has also been the tale of the tournament but the penalty corner specialist doesn’t want to be solely remembered as the top scorer of the tournament.
Razie has been on fire and has scored 12 goals in five games, 10 of them from penalty corners.
The veteran of 294 caps once again bailed out Malaysia by scoring a hattrick against India that kept alive the Speedy Tigers’ hopes of reaching the final.
He will be depended on again for goals against Japan today but Razie stressed that he is lucky to be playing with a group of special players who are giving their everything for the team’s cause.
And he wants the same commitment from them today.
“My job is to score and help the team win. Being the top scorer doesn’t mean anything if we don’t progress. So, I want my teammates to play their roles. Let us achieve our target collectively,” said Razie.
“We have a special bunch of fighters. I’ve never seen such determination in the previous teams that I have played in.
“We must cut down on our mistakes and continue playing with the same spirit and commitment which have taken us this far.”
