After progressing to the AFC Cup final, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) captain Safiq Rahim now believes his side is capable of going all the way and winning it for the Johor fans.
It was confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that Kuwait FA was suspended by FIFA, prompting an automatic disqualification for Al Qadsia – the club Johor DT was scheduled to face in the semi-final second leg.
As a result, JDT have been awarded a 3-0 win, which makes them the first team in Malaysia, and East Asia in fact, to qualify for the final since 2004.
And Safiq is confident ahead of the final against FC Istiklol of Tajikistan, stating it after his team’s 4-0 win over Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) in the Malaysia Cup.
“I have a sense of belief in me and my teammates during this important moment.”
“We can not afford to rest, instead we need work harder and follow the instructions of our coach (Mario Gomez) to assure JDT brings back the AFC Cup,” he told Utusan.
The Southern Tigers are scheduled to meet Istiklol in the final on 31st of October.
Meanwhile, coach Mario Gomez has reminded his players not to lose focus in their Malaysia Cup match against Sarawak this Saturday, with the AFC Cup final just around the corner.
Gomez said, ” We will take one match at a time.”
“The AFC Cup final is certainly more important because it involves Malaysia’s best representative on an international tournament, but we can’t afford to ignore the other matches.”
“If you ask me, I have very little information about our opponent (Istiklol). What I do know is that their players have a superior physical presence compared to the JDT players. We will analyze their game carefully.”
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