MAHALI Jasuli had his first taste of Malaysia Cup action this year in Darul Ta’zim’s 3-1 semi-final second leg win over Felda United on Saturday and the national player is hoping he did enough to justify his place in the final.
Mostly known for his rampaging bursts forward as a right-back, Mahali was deployed as a right winger by coach Bojan Hodak, who is not fully convinced of the former Selangor player’s defensive qualities.
With Aidil Zafuan Radzak suspended for Saturday’s final, the right-back position is now up for grabs between Daudsu Jamaluddin and Mahali, who was substituted at half-time against Felda.
Mahali said he is still trying to recover his fitness after being laid low by a muscle injury but believes he has enough time to win his fight for a first Malaysia Cup final appearance.
“That was my first game in two months but I’m confident I can be fit to last a whole game if the coach decides to play me from the start,” said Mahali, 25, after a mixed display at the Larkin Stadium.
“There are a few more days before the final for me to get ready and honestly, I was not too satisfied with how I played. But it does not matter whether I’m first choice or not because the team come first.”
With Aidil out of the equation due to suspension, Marcos Antonio could return to partner Fadhli Shas in central defence or Hodak could opt to continue playing Hariss Harun in that position after doing well against Felda as an emergency centre-back.
In any case, either Antonio or Hariss will have to make do with a place on the bench with Hodak not likely to sacrifice his two other foreign players, Luciano Figueroa and Jorge Pereyra Diaz, in the most important match of the season.
Mahali said the pressure to win the final will be high no matter who plays.
“Of course the pressure is high,” he said. “In the first leg, we lost to a Premier League team for the first time and it was important to put that right in the return match. We worked hard for the win and now we are in the final.”