KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Young national forward Luqman Hakim Shamsudin gave a confident display when making his debut with YSCC Yokohama in their 1-0 win over Mito Hollyhock in the Levain Cup in Yokohama last night.

The 22-year-old was fielded as a substitute when his team were leading in the 77th minute and played for almost 20 minutes, including added time, according to a video shared by @J_League_En on the X platform.

Luqman, the 2018 AFC Under-16 Championship top scorer, looked sharp and fit in the match played at the NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium. He was also listed among the top 60 young players with potential by The Guardian in 2019.

The Levain Cup is also known as the J League Cup, one of the domestic tournaments in Japan.

Luqman, who helped Malaysia emerge runners-up in the 2019 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-18 Championship, joined YSCC Yokohama on loan from Belgian professional club KV Kortrijk to play in the J3 League for the 2024 season.

The Kota Baru-born player had represented Harimau Malaya before he was loaned to Iceland club Njardvik in 2023.

Luqman needs to chalk up sufficient playing minutes to be in top shape to vie for a spot in the national U-23 squad that will be playing in the 2024 Asian Cup U-23 tournament in Qatar beginning April 15, apart from enhancing his chances of joining the senior squad. — Bernama