KUALA LUMPUR: For young guns Safawi Rasid and Akhyar Rashid, the recent AFF Cup has got them all fired up for the next edition in 2020.
And the next time, the duo won’t want to settle for second best — after Malaysia’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Vietnam in a two-leg final recently.
The two exciting young stars have vowed to work hard to raise their game and establish themselves as regulars in Harimau Malaya.
Safawi, 21, featured in eight AFF Cup matches while Akhyar, 19, played in six games.
JDT winger Safawi, who has 17 national caps and four international goals (including one against Vietnam in the AFF Cup final), said the national team have made much progress under coach Tan Cheng Hoe.
“I am disappointed that we did not win the AFF Cup. But we need to continue to improve our game, which involves a lot of short passes,” said Safawi who won in four categories at the National Football Awards last month, including Most Valuable Player.
Akhyar, who won the M-League’s Best Striker award, said: “I want to play in the next AFF Cup. I will try my best to get a spot in the national team.”
KW: AFF Cup, football, Malaysia