Pestabola Merdeka: Junior determined to recreate magic moment of 10 years ago

PETALING JAYA - National defender Junior Eldstal is determined to recreate the sweet moment of him helping Malaysia to lift the 2013 Pestabola Merdeka trophy in this year’s edition which is taking place on Oct 13 and Oct 17.

The player for Indonesian Liga 1’s Dewa United said winning the 2013 Merdeka Cup Tournament with the Harimau Muda squad is one of the best memories in his career as a footballer.

"Of course, I want to repeat it. I managed to score a goal playing as a midfielder but now it’s a bit difficult to move up to the front.

"Hopefully we can create another history this time around,” he told reporters when met on the second day of the Harimau Malaya central training camp, here, today.

Junior scored Malaysia’s second goal in the 94th minute to help the squad under Datuk Ong Kim Swee to secure their 12th championship title by defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the 2013 edition which was the last time the tournament was held.

Although he is aware of the fierce competition for a place in the starting XI, the 32-year-old player is still optimistic about his chance to be fielded on account of his amicable relationship with Harimau Malaya head coach, Kim Pan Gon.

According to him, the encouraging performance of the national squad during the Tier 1 international friendly in Chengdu, China last month which saw the squad drawing against two teams in the top 100 of the world rankings namely Syria (ranked 90th) and China (ranked the 81st) has boosted their confidence.

Meanwhile, fresh talent, Mohd Suhaimi Husin who is Terengganu FC goalkeeper said he did not expect that his performance this season could capture Pan Gon’s attention and earn him a call-up to join the central training camp.

"I was nervous at first but the feeling disappeared after I managed to establish good rapport with the other players,” he said, adding that he hoped he could deliver an outstanding performance if allowed to play later.

Malaysia, the team with the most victories in the history of Pestabola Merdeka will kick off the 2023 edition by playing against India at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

This Friday’s tournament will also see Pakistan playing against Tajikistan to determine which team will go to the finals on Oct 17. - BERNAMA