Teacher drives 10 hours from Kelantan to watch Malaysia vs Laos match

KUALA LUMPUR - A passion for football and the desire to watch the performance of the National squad saw a teacher from Kota Bharu, Kelantan drive all the way to the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil to watch Malaysia take on Laos in their 2022 AFF Cup Group B match tonight.

Mohammad Syafiq Suhaimi, 30, said he drove for 10 hours with his uncle and cousin who also joined the trip to Bukit Jalil since his last visit to the National Stadium was in 2018.

"I left Kota Bharu at 11 pm and reached Kuala Lumpur at 9 am. We came all the way just to watch the match and will leave immediately to Kelantan after the match,” he told Bernama when met at the stadium.

Mohammad Syafiq hoped the squad under South Korean coach Kim Pan Gon will offer a good entertainment for the fans and crush Laos 5-0 in the match tonight.

Another local football fan who came from Seremban, Hanis Roslin, 29, a civil servant, predicted that Malaysia can beat Laos 3-0 tonight.

"I am here to watch the silky skills of our striker Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim who managed to give the Myanmar defence a torrid time in their match which Malaysia eventually won by the only goal scored by Faisal in Yangon,” he said.

Meanwhile, a young fan, Aidil Zafran, 8, was thrilled by the sight of the National stadium and could not wait to step into the stadium for the first time.

"I am a big football fan but I have never stepped into a stadium, let alone the National Stadium. I am rooting for Malaysia to win,” said the Sekolah Kebangsaan Rantau Panjang, student from Klang.

Malaysia opened their 2022 AFF Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Myanmar at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Wednesday to collect three points.

In another Group B match played at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore today, host nation Singapore beat Myanmar 3-2 to collect three points. - BERNAMA