Ismail Faruqi Ashari has set his mind on redeeming himself in the second-leg of the Asian Zone World Cup second round qualifying match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Thursday.
The Terengganu midfielder is expected to take over the role played by the suspended skipper Safiq Rahim.
Safiq is banned for the second leg after getting the red card for planting his studs into the ribs of Singapore’s Hariss Harun during the first-leg match.
Ismail, who made his national debut in the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday, admitted that he missed a sitter because he was jittery.
“I missed a good chance to score an open goal and it affected my game as I felt guilty,” said the 24-year-old.
“I have to admit that it took me some time to get into rhythm and I also did not support the strikers well. I think I was a bit nervous starting the match.
“If I get to start the match (on Thursday) I will try to redeem myself. We have a tough task at hand but it’s not an impossible one.”
Ismail was a key player in Terengganu coach Irfan Bakti’s success in landing the FA Cup title this season and he impressed national coach Datuk K. Rajagopal in the friendly match against Liverpool on July 16.
The other players in contention to fill the void left by attacking midfield Safiq are Badrol Bakhtiar and K. Gurusamy.
Gurusamy was impressive in the national Under-23 squad’s 2-1 win over Lebanon in the second round of the Asian Olympic qualifiers on June 23.
Badrol was the mainstay of Kedah’s treble winning team in 2007 and 2008.
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