PETALING JAYA, May 3 — National football sensation Luqman Hakim Shamsudin believes that good understanding between players in the current national Under 23 (U-23) squad could result in a gold medal at the SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
He said the good understanding within the team, coached by Brad Maloney, after several previous friendly gave them an advantage when they take on rival teams at the biennial Games.
“My hope is of course for the team to get the gold, not silver or bronze…just target the gold. The team has made the best preparations, we have played friendlies with Timor Leste and the Philippines.
”These friendlies have made us gel well as a team,” he told reporters after the squad’s last training session at the PKNS Sports Complex here today.
They are expected to leave for Hanoi tomorrow (May 4) for the SEA Games.
Luqman Hakim said the squad would do their best and give their all in every match even though they face tough competition in Group B.
Meanwhile, Maloney said although the competition was fierce, his charges would be able to compete if he could bring the team together in the next few days.
He said some players have clear leadership qualities that could form the core to help Malaysia win the title.
“I think it’s clear that we have a clear leadership group, players like Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi, Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat, Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani, Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili and Muhammad Azrin Afiq Rusmini. I believe all these players have leadership qualities and experience.
“As for Hadi Fayyadh (Abdul Razak) and Luqman Hakim, great to have them back in the team. They just arrived from abroad, but they are looking good,” he added.
Luqman Hakim plays for KV Kortrijk in the Belgian First Division, while Hadi Fayyadh features for Azul Claro Numazu in the Japanese J3 League.
Drawn in Group B, Malaysia is set to face Thailand on May 7, followed by Laos (May 11), Singapore (May 14) and Cambodia (May 16) at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh. Only the top two teams in the group stage will advance to the semi-finals.
The last time Malaysia won the ‘mother of all medals’ in the biennial Games was in the 2011 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia, with head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee guiding them to victory.
The list of 24 players are as follows:
| NO | NAME | AGE | TEAM |
| 1. | MUHAMMAD MUKHAIRI AJMAL MAHADI | 21 | SELANGOR FC |
| 2. | AHMAD ZIKRI MOHD KHALILI | 20 | SELANGOR FC |
| 3. | MUHAMMAD AZRIN AFIQ RUSMINI | 20 | SELANGOR FC |
| 4. | QUENTIN CHENG JIUN-HO | 23 | SELANGOR FC |
| 5. | HARITH HAIQAL ADAM AFKAR | 20 | SELANGOR FC |
| 6. | AHMAD DANIAL AHMAD ASRI | 22 | SELANGOR FC |
| 7. | MUHAMAD SYAHIR BASHAH | 21 | SELANGOR FC |
| 8. | MUHAMMAD FAIZ AMER RUNNIZAR | 19 | SELANGOR FC 2 |
| 9. | MUHAMMAD FAHMI DANIEL MOHD ZAAIM | 20 | SELANGOR FC 2 |
| 10. | NIK AKIF SYAHIRAN NIK MAT | 23 | TERENGGANU FC |
| 11. | MUHAMMAD AZAM AZMI MURAD | 21 | TERENGGANU FC |
| 12. | MUHAMMAD SYAFIK ISMAIL | 22 | TERENGGANU FC |
| 13. | MUHAMMAD HAIRIEY HAKIM MAMAT | 22 | TERENGGANU FC |
| 14. | MUHAMMAD RAHADIAZLI RAHALIM | 21 | TERENGGANU FC |
| 15. | MUHAMMAD NUR AZFAR FIKRI AZHAR | 22 | TERENGGANU FC II |
| 16. | MUHAMMAD SAFWAN MAZLAN | 20 | TERENGGANU FC II |
| 17. | MUHAMAD UMAR HAKEEM SUHAR REZWAN | 20 | JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM II |
| 18. | MUHAMMAD SHAFI AZSWAD SAPARI | 21 | JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM III |
| 19. | MUHAMMAD AZRI AB GHANI | 23 | KUALA LUMPUR CITY FC |
| 20. | LUQMAN HAKIM SHAMSUDIN | 20 | KV KORTRIJK |
| 21. | MOHD AIMAN AFIF MD AFIZUL | 21 | KEDAH DARUL AMAN FC |
| 22. | MUHAMMAD UBAIDULLAH SHAMSUL FAZILI | 19 | FAM-NSC PROJECT SQUAD |
| 23. | MUHAMMAD HADI FAYYADH ABDUL RAZAK | 22 | AZUL CLARO |
| 24. | MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS IRMAN MOHD FADHIL | 21 | PDRM FC |
— Bernama
