Kuala lumpur: National winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim expressed gratitude and delight after ending his two-year goal drought. He shared these sentiments ahead of Malaysia’s Group F match in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Laos, which will take place tomorrow night at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Selangor FC player found the back of the net for Harimau Malaya for the first time in almost two years during the 3-0 win over Laos last Thursday. Faisal stated it was a new beginning in his career with the national squad. Known as ‘Mickey’, he credited this achievement to hard work and the encouragement from teammates who supported him during his recovery and efforts to regain form.

Faisal remarked, “Alhamdulillah, after 623 days without scoring, almost two years, I finally managed to score again for the national team. I’m thrilled that the coach allowed me to prove my abilities, and I worked hard to make the most of it.” He emphasized his gratitude towards his teammates for their unwavering support and motivation.

The 26-year-old player viewed his recent goal as the start of a new chapter in his journey to contribute to Harimau Malaya. “What I can say is that this is not the end, this is a new beginning for me to keep fighting alongside the national team,” he added.

During the match against Laos last Thursday, Faisal, who came on as a substitute, sealed Malaysia’s 3-0 victory under coach Peter Cklamovski with a goal in second-half injury time. Malaysia currently tops Group F with nine points after three matches and will face Laos again tomorrow to maintain a perfect qualifying record.

In the team standings, Malaysia is followed by Vietnam in second place with six points, Laos in third with three points, and Nepal at the bottom with zero points.