Suzuki Cup: Hat-trick hero Safawi Rasid inspires Malaysia to 4-0 win over Laos

Safawi Rasid now leads the scoring charts on four goals after also netting in the Cambodia game. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

SINGAPORE - Touted as the next big thing in Malaysian football, Johor Darul Takzim winger Safawi Rasid had not lived up to this tag with his performances for club and country this year, coming in for fierce criticism for his abject performances during June's World Cup qualifiers.

But the tide could be turning for the 24-year-old.

On Thursday (Dec 9), he gave the 427 fans present at the Bishan Stadium a reminder of his qualities as he scored this Suzuki Cup's first hat-trick and inspired Malaysia to a 4-0 win over Laos.

It was the Harimau Malaya's second successive win in as many matches this week after Monday's opening 3-1 victory over Cambodia.

Safawi now leads the scoring charts on four goals after also netting in the Cambodia game. This is in stark contrast to his form this year, which saw him notching only three goals and two assists in 16 appearances in the Malaysian Super League (MSL).

It was a far cry from his output in the 2018/19 MSL season, when he recorded eight goals and six assists in 21 matches. That form even earned him a season-long loan move to Portimonense SC in Portugal's top tier.

While Malaysia and Safawi are purring, Laos, with Singaporean V. Selvaraj at the helm as head coach, have now suffered successive losses. They lost 2-0 to defending champions Vietnam in their opening match.

Selvaraj admitted his team had been outclassed, saying: "We wanted to open up a bit more and be more adventurous. During the transitions, we were not fast enough to cover back, which led to the quick goals. But my young team gave it their all against a Malaysia team two levels higher than us."

Laos fell behind early in this encounter with Safawi getting on the scoreboard in the seventh minute when he raced into the box to get on the end of an Arif Aiman cross with a simple tap-in. He doubled his tally in the 34th when he headed in a corner.

Defender Shahrul Saad increased Malaysia's lead in the 78th minute with a surging run and cool finish past the goalkeeper before Safawi completed his hat-trick with a sweet finish from inside the box just two minutes later.

The winger remained modest after his feat, saying: "I didn't expect to score a hat-trick. I managed to do it only because of the support of my team-mates."

Malaysia's coach Tan Cheng Hoe praised Safawi, saying: "He has the talent, discipline and is very committed. He knows he needs to work hard to retain his status as one of our best players. He needs to be focused for every match."

Casting his eye on his men's overall performance, he added: "It was another great performance from the team. As a coach, I still believe this bunch of players can be more composed and confident. Match by match, the players will get better."

It is understood that four players in Malaysia's squad of 24 are currently in isolation at the team hotel after testing positive for Covid-19. Winger Akhyar Rashid, the Man of the Match in the opening Group B fixture against Cambodia on Monday, and defender Quentin Cheng tested positive on Thursday. Goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid and forward Faisal Halim returned positive tests last Sunday.

The Harimau Malaya will face Vietnam on Sunday (Dec 12) while Laos take on Indonesia.

In Thursday's other Group B tie, Indonesia kick off their campaign against Cambodia.

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