PETALING JAYA – Selangor FC, winners of the Malaysia Cup a record 33 times, bounced back from a goal down to gun down PDRM (the Cops) 4-1 in the first leg of their Malaysia Cup campaign at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) stadium, here last night.
Though the scoreline looks convincing in the end, the Cops had shocked the home team by taking the lead in the 25th minute when Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak tapped in from close range after Bruno Suzuki’s initial attempt had bounced off the crossbar.
That early goal seemed to have awakened the sleeping giants but despite numerous attacks, the Cops, under interim coach Eddy Gapil@Edwin held on until halftime.
However, Selangor coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s halftime pep talk seemed to have worked wonders when the Red Giants came roaring and levelled the tie through import Ayron Del Valle Rodriguez in the 57th minute and took the lead six minutes later through the same player with a close range acrobatic kick.
Defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar and second-half substitute Yohandry Jose Orozco Cujia registered their names on the scoresheet with strikes in the 74th minute and well into injury time after the regulation play of 90 minutes had passed.
The victory was certainly sweet revenge for the Red Giants who had lost to PDRM 0-1 in a Super League match back in June.
In Ipoh, Perak FC pulled off a pleasant surprise by convincingly beating Kedah Darul Aman FC 3-1 at the Perak Stadium.
However, just like Selangor, Perak had to come from behind to register the victory, since Kedah had taken the lead as early as the first minute through Manuel Ott’s header and just like Selangor, Perak had to wait until the second half to make the comeback.
The start of the second half saw Perak draw level when Luciano Guaycochea tucked in a penalty in the 48th minute while Luka Milunovic struck in the 55th minute to give Perak FC the lead.
Kedah’s hopes of a fightback were dashed when Rodney Celvin was given the marching orders in the 61st minute for a crude tackle on Seo Seonung.
Playing with a man down proved costly for Kedah as Perak added the third goal through substitute Hakimi Mat Isa in the 86th minute.
In another match, 2021 Malaysia Cup winner Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City) scored an emphatic 4-0 victory over Penang FC at the City Stadium in Penang.
KL City’s goals were scored by Tchetche Kipre in the fourth and 26th minutes followed by Zhafri Yahya in the 31st minute and Romel Morales in the 84th minute.
The second leg is scheduled on August 19. – Bernama, August 4, 2023
