BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Having made his Malaysia debut as a substitute in their 2-0 friendly match win against Nepal last week, forward Faisal Abdul Halim is determined to earn another appearance when the Harimau Malaya take on Timor-Leste again on Tuesday.
The diminutive forward did not feature in Malaysia's 7-1 first leg World Cup/Asian Cup first round play-off win last Friday, but Malaysia boss Tan Cheng Hoe looks likely to field more second-stringers in the return leg due to the huge margin of Friday's win.
When met by Goal on Monday before training with the team, Faisal remarked how he was amazed by the way team played in the first leg.
"They astounded me with the way they played. They played a fast game with high intensity, the younger players and the more senior squad members showed good combination; I believe that this is the best Malaysia team in a long while," remarked the 21-year old player.
The Pahang man is now hoping that Cheng Hoe will feature him on Tuesday, in the second leg encounter.
"It (making Malaysia debut) was an eye-opener for me. I'd never thought that I'd get to play for Malaysia so soon, I guess it's my good fortune. Against Nepal I showed that I can compete [for a spot], while I didn't get to play in the first-leg clash against Timor-Leste, I'm now hoping to get to play this Tuesday.
"And to get this, I have to train more aggresively, and with more spirit, and show commitment to the team," explained Faisal.
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