Kelantan blast five past Selangor, Turtles stage fightback
SHAH ALAM: Kelantan are virtually through to their second FA Cup final in three years when they humiliated Selangor 5-1 in the first-leg of the semi-finals at the Shah Alam Stadium here last night.
Cheered on by their 20,000 fans, the Red Warriors were in their element. They grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first half. Youngster Mohd Ramzul Zahini Adenan was the hero, netting a brace in the 11th and 41st minutes. Skipper Mohd Badhri Radzi put his name on the scoresheet with the third goal a minute before the interval.
Kelantan continued to pile on the pressure after the breather and were rewarded with further goals by Nurul Azwan Roya (68th) and Norsharul Idlan Talaha (72nd).
Selangor managed to reduce the deficit through Amri Yahyah in stoppage time.
Close attention: Selangor’s Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal tries to get past two Kelantan players during their FA Cup semi-final first leg match at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday. — AHMAD IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star It was the Red Giants’ biggest defeat in a decade. Coach K. Devan’s men had no answer against the east coast side and their bid to go for a record sixth FA Cup title in 22 years is as good as over. To qualify for the final, Selangor need to score six goals without reply in the return leg at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Monday.
For Kelantan, it was payback time as they were beaten by Selangor in a penalty shootout in the 2009 FA Cup final.
In Kuantan, Terengganu kept alive their hopes of making the final by fighting back from two goals down to edge Pahang 3-2 at the Darulmakmur Stadium.
The Elephants went 2-0 up with goals by Mohd Munir Amran (47th) and R. Surendren (54th). The Turtles, however, had a stroke of luck in the 64th minute when Saiful Nizam Miswan scored an own goal. Wan Mohd Aliff Jasmi then equalised for Terengganu in the 82nd minute.
Two minutes from time, Md Ashaari Shamsuddin scored the winner to ensure the Turtles return home with a one-goal advantage.
With regular defenders Khairul Anuar Baharom and Mohd Nasriq Baharom out injured, Selangor were always under pressure. Kelantan sent a warning as early as the fourth minute with nippy flanker Nurul Azwan Roya hitting the woodwork from 30m.
The visitors, however, did not have to wait long. Seven minutes later, striker Ramzul punished the ball-watching Selangor defence to score from close range.
Mohd Badhri was unlucky not to score in the 21st minute. He managed to beat goalkeeper Mohd Saiful Amar Sudar but not the post.
The Selangor defence, however, was again caught napping when they conceded the second goal from a free-kick in the 41st minute. Mohd Badhri sent Norsharul through in the box and the national striker provided an inch-perfect pass for Ramzul to score his second goal of the night.
Three minutes later, it was Nurul Azwan’s turn to provide the pass for Mohd Badhri to score goal number three.
Selangor forwards Mohd Amri and Mohd Fadli Saari tried hard to stage a fightback but the Kelantan defence marshalled by Mohd Farisham Ismail and S. Subramaniam did well to ward off their moves. National goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was also in top form for Kelantan.
Not satisfied, Kelantan continued to surge forward in the second half and Nurul Azwan scored goal number four in the 68th minute and Norsharul made it five in the 72nd minute.
Kelantan, however, suffered a minor blip in stoppage time when Amri managed to pull a goal back for Selangor.
But with a four-goal and home advantage, the Kelantanese, who have never won the FA Cup, can now make arrangements for the final on June 11.
Cheered on by their 20,000 fans, the Red Warriors were in their element. They grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first half. Youngster Mohd Ramzul Zahini Adenan was the hero, netting a brace in the 11th and 41st minutes. Skipper Mohd Badhri Radzi put his name on the scoresheet with the third goal a minute before the interval.
Kelantan continued to pile on the pressure after the breather and were rewarded with further goals by Nurul Azwan Roya (68th) and Norsharul Idlan Talaha (72nd).
Selangor managed to reduce the deficit through Amri Yahyah in stoppage time.
Close attention: Selangor’s Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal tries to get past two Kelantan players during their FA Cup semi-final first leg match at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday. — AHMAD IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star For Kelantan, it was payback time as they were beaten by Selangor in a penalty shootout in the 2009 FA Cup final.
In Kuantan, Terengganu kept alive their hopes of making the final by fighting back from two goals down to edge Pahang 3-2 at the Darulmakmur Stadium.
The Elephants went 2-0 up with goals by Mohd Munir Amran (47th) and R. Surendren (54th). The Turtles, however, had a stroke of luck in the 64th minute when Saiful Nizam Miswan scored an own goal. Wan Mohd Aliff Jasmi then equalised for Terengganu in the 82nd minute.
Two minutes from time, Md Ashaari Shamsuddin scored the winner to ensure the Turtles return home with a one-goal advantage.
With regular defenders Khairul Anuar Baharom and Mohd Nasriq Baharom out injured, Selangor were always under pressure. Kelantan sent a warning as early as the fourth minute with nippy flanker Nurul Azwan Roya hitting the woodwork from 30m.
Mohd Badhri was unlucky not to score in the 21st minute. He managed to beat goalkeeper Mohd Saiful Amar Sudar but not the post.
The Selangor defence, however, was again caught napping when they conceded the second goal from a free-kick in the 41st minute. Mohd Badhri sent Norsharul through in the box and the national striker provided an inch-perfect pass for Ramzul to score his second goal of the night.
Three minutes later, it was Nurul Azwan’s turn to provide the pass for Mohd Badhri to score goal number three.
Selangor forwards Mohd Amri and Mohd Fadli Saari tried hard to stage a fightback but the Kelantan defence marshalled by Mohd Farisham Ismail and S. Subramaniam did well to ward off their moves. National goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was also in top form for Kelantan.
Not satisfied, Kelantan continued to surge forward in the second half and Nurul Azwan scored goal number four in the 68th minute and Norsharul made it five in the 72nd minute.
Kelantan, however, suffered a minor blip in stoppage time when Amri managed to pull a goal back for Selangor.
But with a four-goal and home advantage, the Kelantanese, who have never won the FA Cup, can now make arrangements for the final on June 11.
No comments:
Post a Comment