SINGAPORE - He may still be some way off his ultimate ambition of playing in a top European league, but Singapore striker Ikhsan Fandi is definitely making progress in the right direction, after scoring his first two goals in Norway's second division for Raufoss IL on May 12 and 16.
And the 20-year-old told The Straits Times he is not just growing in confidence on the pitch, he is also learning life lessons off it.
He said: "In Norway, I'm really adulting! When my brother (Irfan Fandi) and I lived and trained in Chile in 2014 and 2015, there were people taking care of me.
"But now, I'm learning to be independent and I think I'm doing well. The only thing I still don't like to do is laundry and I'm lazy to iron stuff. But overall, it is definitely a good life experience for me."
Home in Raufoss - an 80-minute drive from Norway's capital Oslo - is one of four two-bedroom apartments in a house. Ikhsan shares his apartment with another youngster, 20-year-old defender Parfait Bizoza.
"It's five minutes from our home ground, cosy and just nice for both of us," said Ikhsan. "We get along well. Parfait used to be the only one cooking and I would do more of the cleaning, but now I have learnt to cook simple dishes so I help out too.
"I brought an air fryer, which we don't use much of now, and a rice cooker to Norway. We usually eat rice, salmon with some sauce, or chicken pasta, and Parfait makes lasagne and tacos sometimes."
Â
Â
Â
While he is starting to catch the eye with some sharp finishes - his first was a dramatic bicycle-kick winner in the 3-2 away victory over Skeid, and his second was a towering header in the 5-2 home defeat by Sandnes Ulf - Ikhsan picked functional over flashy for his ride, with the Volkswagen Golf.
He said: "There is not much to do in Raufoss itself as it is a small municipal centre. There is a bowling centre and cinema 10 minutes away in the larger town Gjovik, but I usually stay home to watch drama series like Game of Thrones or play video games.
"Sometimes, we would drive about five minutes to my teammates Oskar Loken and Thierry Dabove's place to play Fortnite."
With many of the 7,000 Raufoss inhabitants now familiar with Ikhsan's name - the 2,500-capacity Nammo Stadion is almost full for home games - it seems like the Raufoss No. 18 has taken to Norwegian football like fish to water, or like a salmon surging upstream.
The environment certainly helps. With little distraction in Raufoss, Ikhsan is able to focus on becoming better.
Typically, his team play one league match a week, usually on a Sunday. The next day is spent on recovery, and the following day is the only day off. They will then spend the four days before the match training and preparing for the game. These sessions are under two hours and once a week, they have double sessions. In addition to the Nammo Stadion, which is laid with a top-grade artificial pitch, Raufoss also has an indoor arena for training during winter.
Ikhsan said: "Once the season starts, we also go to the gym on our own. After each training session, I will stay behind and do extra shooting and heading. I always want to improve my finishing and composure.
"Raufoss are a young team in which everyone wants to improve and everyone is pushing each other to become better."
Since arriving in Raufoss for trials and signing a two-year deal in January, Ikhsan has done well to chalk off quite a few milestones, including making seven league appearances - all off the bench - amid wintry conditions to make an impression.
There are more on his to-do list, such as earning his first league start, scoring 10 goals to help his team stay in the Obos-ligaen, and attracting the attention of bigger clubs.
Ikhsan said: "The Obos-ligaen is a high-intensity and very physical league with many skilful players. I still play as a striker in the team, so I don't think I have changed my style too much. I just have to work harder to win the duels and get to the ball first. It's little things like these that sometimes prove to be the difference.
"The main differences between the football here and in Singapore are the quality and intensity. The players here are stronger, and most of them have good technique and first touch.
"But some things don't change. As a striker, scoring goals is the most important thing. I also try to help my team by holding the ball well, providing link-up play, and making good movements to create space for my team.
"Of course, I was anxious and eager to prove myself as quickly as I can, and I'm happy and relieved to have scored my first goals for the club. I will continue to work hard to become the best footballer I can be and hopefully go on to have a fruitful career for club and country."
Football: Guardiola tips City as comeback 'heroes', Football
VAR drama mars Juve's historic win. Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo was the hero with both goals in the 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Saturday, but controversy has arisen over whether the penalty from
Latest SERIE A | The Straits Times
He's great to watch - but he's not God." Pope Francis is known to be a football fan, and he is also a club member of Buenos Aires side San Lorenzo. Two goals from Messi gave Barcelona victory in the Catalan derby over Espanyol on Sunday, taking the Liga leaders another step closer to the title. -- REUTERS
Football: 'He's great to watch, but he's not God' - Pope sets
sportsloveme.com/soccer/football-hes-great-to-watch-but-hes-not-god-pope-sets-fans-straight-on-messi/
Football: 'He's great to watch, but he's not God' - Pope sets fans straight on Messi 04/01/2019 FOOTBALL M , Lionel Messi , Pope BARCELONA (REUTERS) - For Barcelona fans, Lionel Messi is "D10S", a combination of the Spanish word for "God" - "dios" - with the No. 10 on his shirt.
'He's great to watch, but he's not God': Pope sets fans
Football: Man City surge clear through Sterling as Spurs suffer
Brighton moved into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the second successive season as goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia clinched a 2-1 win over Derby on Saturday.
Football: Brighton edge into FA Cup quarter-finals | Sportstons
sportstons.com/soccer/football-brighton-edge-into-fa-cup-quarter-finals/
Home » Soccer » Football: Brighton edge into FA Cup quarter-finals Football: Brighton edge into FA Cup quarter-finals LONDON (AFP) - Brighton moved into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the second successive season, as goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia clinched a 2-1 win over Derby on Saturday (Feb 16).
Football: Brighton edge into FA Cup quarter-finals, Football
The most heavily touristed area in Brussels is the striking Grand-Place. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and was once the meeting place of Flemish guilds. My nerdy history buff side had a field day imagining I was a Flemish textile merchant in the 15th century (yeah…). It was so easy to imagine, I mean look! Moving on…
If you're feeling tired and forgetful your Vitamin B levels
CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI finally had the chance to stretch his legs - as he trained in front of a glum-looking Maurizio Sarri today. The young winger, 18, was once again glued to the bench for the 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last night, with fans quickly losing patience with the boss.
Inside Chelsea: Kepa row, Spurs blast - where it all went
Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks, Qatar's Ali downs Saudis AFP January 17, 2019 AFP No Comments Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates) (AFP) - Tsukasa Shiotani's sizzling winner kept Japan on top of their Asian Cup group on Thursday, while Oman scrambled into the knockouts in a pulsating finish to the tournament's first stage.
Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks, Qatar's Ali downs Saudis
Emery, Wenger, Kroenke: who to blame for Arsenal's sh*tshow? 30th May 2019 News Puddle 0 Comments Football365. Spread the love. Send your thoughts to theeditor@
Emery: It's a big frustration | Arseblog News - the Arsenal
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has vowed to "isolate" his players from politics at the Asian Cup, which is taking place in the United Arab Emirates during a diplomatic crisis between the countries. The tournament represents the first visit by the Qatari national side to the UAE since the beginning of a row that has transformed the Gulf and left
Qatar coach to 'isolate' team from Gulf politics at Asian Cup
LONDON • Manchester United have been on a roll since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment with 11 wins from 13 games in all competitions, but Jurgen Klopp believes he has "the blueprint" to
Blueprint to beat Manchester United - Latest News
The first state data security breach notification law was enacted in California in 2002. In response to state security breach notification laws enacted thereafter in numerous jurisdictions, over 2,676 data breaches and computer intrusions have been disclosed by the nation's largest data brokers,
Coaches' Contracts: Terminating A Coach Without Cause and the
Football: Jose Mourinho says he lacked help in Manchester United job Related Story. Football: Where next for Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid have an itch to scratch? China and France are options.
Should Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho part ways?
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen