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Sayur kot...


PEMAIN negara hanya melakukan latihan ringan di pekarangan hotel penginapan mereka, Hotel Sultan, Jakarta semalam.

JAKARTA – “Indonesia tak sehebat Vietnam. Bagi saya Vietnam lagi mantap berbanding Indonesia, cuma Indonesia ada kelebihan beraksi di tempat sendiri... sayur kot!”

Itu tegas kapten skuad kebangsaan, Safiq Rahim yang semakin yakin untuk mencatat sejarah menjadi rakyat Malaysia pertama menjulang trofi Piala Suzuki AFF malam ini.

Bagi Safiq, 23, pasukan Indonesia tidaklah sehebat mana berbanding dua pasukan bekas juara iaitu Vietnam dan Thailand yang disifatkannya lebih kuat.

"Saya rasa, Vietnam jauh lebih bagus dan kuat. Malah Thailand pun sebenarnya lebih baik daripada Indonesia," kata Safiq ketika ditemui Kosmo! selepas sesi latihan ringan skuad kebangsaan di pekarangan Hotel Sultan di sini pagi semalam.

Safiq yang mengakui cukup teruja dan tidak sabar untuk mengesahkan kejuaraan pertama buat Malaysia selepas berakhirnya final kedua malam ini turut berkongsi pengalaman menjadi kapten.

“Jurulatih (K. Rajagobal) umum pelantikan saya sebagai kapten ketika aksi persahabatan bertemu Maldives beberapa hari sebelum ke Sukan Asia 2010 di Guangzhou, China.

“Bagaimanapun pada perlawanan itu, Nasriq Baharom cedera dan jurulatih terpaksa menyenaraikan pemain senior, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah dan tugas kapten diberikan kepada Zamani.

“Tetapi Zamani pula cedera pada aksi sulung Sukan Asia menentang Krgyzstan. Saya jadi kapten untuk baki perlawanan menentang Jepun, China dan Iran, semuanya tewas.

“Bermula pada Piala Suzuki AFF, kita tewas kepada Indonesia. Ketika itu saya tertekan kerana tewas semua perlawanan. Tetapi tak sangka dapat juga bawa pasukan ke final sebagai kapten,” jelas Safiq.

Menjelang aksi final kedua malam ini, pemain tengah Selangor itu mengharapkan skuad kebangsaan berjaya memperoleh gol awal bagi menambah tekanan buat pasukan tuan rumah.

“Jika kita dapat jaring satu gol, Indonesia terpaksa cari lima gol. Tetapi jangan pula kita beri mereka gol awal kerana ia akan membangkitkan semula semangat pasukan lawan.

“Apa pun ini pertama kali saya berpeluang menjulang trofi selaku kapten. Tak pernah langsung sebelum ini. Lagipun menjulang trofi di hadapan penyokong Indonesia, lebih memberi kepuasan.

“Saya harap, kita akan pulang Khamis ini (esok) bersama-sama trofi Piala Suzuki AFF,” ujar pemain kelahiran Seremban, Negeri Sembilan itu.



Daripada WAN FAKHRUL BAKAR
fakhrul@kosmo.com.my

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