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Friday October 30, 2009

Terengganu turn to their ‘Baby-faced Assassin’ for goals

By ERIC SAMUEL

PETALING JAYA: The Terengganu fans will be rooting for Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin to deliver the goals in the Malaysia Cup semi-final second-leg match against Negri Sembilan at the Sultan Ismail Stadium in Kuala Terengganu tomorrow.

The 23-year-old international, dubbed “the Baby-faced Assassin”, has struck it hot this season and has 22 goals to show, including five in the Malaysia Cup competition.

The Turtles will go into the match tomorrow with a one-goal deficit.

Always a handful: Terengganu’s Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin (right) giving Negri Sembilan’s Mohd Zambery Yahya a hard time during their Malaysia Cup semi-final first-leg match on Tuesday.

“We are trailing by only one goal and I feel we have the resources in the team to get our job done,” said a confident Ashaari of the squad under Ken Worden this season.

Negri are well aware of the threat posed by Ashaari and his partner in attack, Abdul Manaf Mamat, who has 13 goals to his credit.

Negri coach Wan Jamak Wan Hassan said that the duo had proved to be lethal combination in attack this season.

“Ashaari has a lethal left foot and if given the space, he should be a handful in the box. Abdul Manaf can strike the ball very well with either leg,” said Wan Jamak.

However, the same cannot be said of the Terengganu defence in the absence of their inspirational skipper, Marzuki Yusof, who has to serve a one-match suspension for picking up the second yellow card in the competition in the first-leg semi-final at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi on Tuesday.

But Ashaari felt that the team would not lose their shape as their replacement for Marzuki will be fired up to do the job well.

“We will miss Marzuki but there are a couple of players who can step in well. We will not be weakened by the absence of one player. We work as a team and anything can happen in football,” said Ashaari of their chances to pip Negri to a place in the final.

In domestic competitions last season, Ashaari also went great guns. In the Sukma (Malaysia Games) in Kuala Terengganu, he was the top scorer for the gold medal-winning home team with 11 goals. In the Super League, he bagged nine goals.

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