MEDAN’S LONG WAIT ENDS
Club lift PSC-Carlsberg International Soccer 7’s title at 12th time of asking
INDONESIAN teams were on top of the world as they captured the Veterans’ and Masters’ titles in the 18th PSCCarlsberg International Soccer 7’s tournament at the Penang Sports Club ground in George Town recently.
Such was their dominance that for the first time in the competition’s 18-year history, the finalists for both finals were from Indonesia.
In the Veterans category, last year’s losing finalists Kwarta Medan defeated Bintang Timur FC 2-0 to lift the trophy for the first time in 12 years of trying.
They took home medals, a replica trophy and RM2,500 while runners-up Bintang Timur FC received medals and RM1,000.
In the Masters challenge, Bintang Timur from Jakarta again had to settle for second best when they were beaten by Medan’s Pertamina FC 3-2 in the final.
The latter took home a replica trophy, medals and RM2,500 while the former settled for medals and RM1,000.
Kwarta Medan Tuak FC’s M. Arief said the players were excited to finally win the trophy, having been runners-up twice.
“We have won the Ulu Klang Recreation Club (UKRC) soccer 9’s for three consecutive years, from 2014 to 2016, and had also won other international tournaments, including the Singapore Cricket Club 7’s tournament, but not winning the PSC trophy was a big disappointment.
“But now, all that is over. We have succeeded in winning the elusive trophy.
“For now, we are looking forward to another international tournament in Vietnam, the Saigon International 7’s in November and hopefully, we can also bring back home the trophy,” Arief said after receiving the challenge trophy from Penang Sports Club president Loo Choo Teng and Carlsberg Malaysia regional sales manager Lim Eng Wah.
Organising committee chairman Mohd Azrel Datuk Mohd Junid said the tournament had attracted 20 foreign and 24 Malaysian teams, with the foreign teams coming from Indonesia (seven), Singapore (four), Thailand and Maldives (three each), Cambodia (two) and Hong Kong (one).
RESULTS — Veterans Plate Sfinals: Kilat KL 4 Ports Rangers FC 2; Black Eagles FC 0(2) Htc 0(0); Final: Kilat KL 3 Black Eagles FC 2. Trophy S-finals: Kwarta Medan 1 Penang Sports Club Reds 0; Bintang Timur FC 1 Bangkok Airways 0; Final:
Kwarta Medan 2 Bintang Timur FC 0.
Masters Plate S-finals: Bangkok Spartacus 4 Penang Chinese FA 1; Jurong Weston 4 Hong Kong All Stars 1; Final: Jurong Weston 4 Bangkok Spartacus 2.
Trophy S-finals: Bintang Timur FC 2(5) Penang Sports Club 2(4). Pertamina FC 3 Htc 0;
Final: Pertamina FC 3 Bintang Timur FC 2.