Mohamadou Sumareh came off the bench to inspire a 4-1 comeback victory against Sri Lanka on his international debut for Malaysia on Friday.
The 27-year-old, who became a naturalised citizen in July, replaced Shahrel Fikri at the start of the second half when Malaysia were trailing 1-0 at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The home side took the lead in the 29th minute after goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam palmed an effort on target to the path of Subash Madushan, who had the simplest task of tapping in the ball.
Following his second-half introduction, the Gambian-born winger had an immediate impact as he was involved in the build-up to the Harimau Malaya's equaliser.
He set up the ball for Matthew Davies to cross into the box that was dealt poorly by the Sri Lanka goalkeeper, allowing Norshahrul Idlan Talaha to get the goal in the 65th minute.
After Adam Nor Azlin put Malaysia ahead in the 76th minute with his first international goal, Sumareh used his pace to trouble the Sri Lanka backline and grabbed two more goals for the country.
The first goal was an own goal after his cross was deflected into the net off a Sri Lanka defender in the 85th minute, but he made sure he got on the scoresheet with a fine near-post finish in injury time.
With such a fine performance, he should be in line for his first international start when Tan Cheng Hoe's side take on Kyrgyzstan on October 16 as the Tigers continue their 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup preparations.
Seng Foo Lee
Fri Oct 12 2018
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