PETALING JAYA: There are rarely second chances in life, and football. That’s what the national team’s naturalised winger Mohamadou Sumareh was once told but he didn’t know what that meant at the time.

But on Saturday, the 31-year-old Gambian-born winger experienced the true meaning of that in Malaysia’s 1-0 win over the Philippines which booked their semi-final spot in the Hyundai AFF Cup.

Hearing a packed Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium with 12,734 fans chanting his name was an unforgettable moment for Sumareh.

“TMJ (Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim) once told me football gives you a second chance but I didn’t understand what he meant then,” said Sumareh.

“But now I do. Hearing the fans chant my name and cheer me on gave me a great feeling. It reminded me to treasure this opportunity to play for Malaysia again.”

Sumareh’s recent call-up for the tournament marks his first appearance for the Harimau Malaya since the 2024 Asian Cup.

Sumareh, who has 36 caps with Malaysia, is one of the more experienced players in interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s squad.

His pace and dribbles down the right wing have helped him stamp his mark in the tournament, especially in the opening match against Myanmar, where he set up captain Paulo Josue twice in the space of 10 minutes in the come-from-behind 2-1 win.

Despite that, the Johor Darul Ta’zim player redirected the spotlight towards the new blood in the team.

“Big credit to the youngsters. They put everything out there,” he said.

“11 stars don’t make a team but 11 friends do. And that’s why we’ve made it so far.”

The upcoming fixture against title holders Vietnam will be Malaysia’s hardest yet but Sumareh is confident they will approach it the right way.

“Vietnam are the favourites but we’re growing with each game,” he said.

“We’re going to go in and just continue what we have been doing.”

The first leg of the semi-finals will be played in Cheras on Aug 16 with the away leg in Hanoi on Aug 19.