GAMBIA-born Mohamadou Sumareh is hungry for success in the Malaysia Cup.
The winger said winning the country’s most prestigious football tournament would be the icing on his impressive resume as he has been dreaming about it since joining Pahang in 2017.
Pahang will face Kedah in the semi-final first leg in Alor Star today.
The 28-year-old is aware it will not be easy for Pahang at the Darulaman Stadium.
For the record, Pahang last won the title in 2014 but were booted out 3-1 on aggregate by Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the quarter-finals last year.
“I hope we will qualify for the final this time. Since joining Pahang, we have never gone beyond the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Cup,” said Sumareh yesterday.
In the last six Malaysia Cup meetings between Pahang and Kedah, the Elephants have only won twice with three defeats and one draw.
Pahang, however, may have to reshuffle their line-up as Lazarus Kaimbi, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Muslim Ahmad, Nor Azam Azih, Zuhair Aizat Mohd Nazri and Faisal Halim are on the crock list.
However, Kaimbi, Norshahrul and Nor Azam are nursing minor injuries and might make the bench.
Meanwhile, Kedah’s leading scorer Fernando Rodriguez is eager to make a statement today.
Rodriguez, who has netted 18 goals in all competitions this year, believes his team can win big against a weakened Pahang.
“We need to score as many goals tomorrow in front of our fans to gain a healthy lead ahead of the return leg.
“Everyone in the team needs to be focused on this mission. I also hope to score and contribute significantly to Kedah’s quest of reaching the final,” said Rodriguez.