Darul Ta’zim shown the exit in fiery match

DARUL Ta’zim were dumped out of the AFC Cup in controversial manner at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City yesterday.

Ceres Negros of the Philippines defeated the former champions 2-1 in the zonal semi-final return leg to qualify on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate finish.

Losing to a Filipino club is an embarrassment not only for Darul Ta’zim but also Malaysian football. Darul Ta’zim were expected to go far in the AFC Cup as they are one of the biggest clubs in the region.

Darul Ta’zim were on their way to qualifying for the zonal final but their dreams were shattered when Ceres were awarded a penalty by China referee Fu Ming in the third minute of stoppage time.

The penalty was awarded when Darul Ta’zim centre-back Aidil Zafua Radzak pushed a Ceres player inside the box during a corner-kick.

Spanish striker Fernando Rodríguez stepped up and scored past Darul Ta’zim goalkeeper Farizal Marlias to send Ceres into the zonal final.

Farizal acted foolishly after that as he aggressively charged at match officials and Ceres players. He was subsequently red carded for his unprofessional conduct.

There were several altercations between players of both teams in the remaining minutes of the game but the match officials managed to keep things under control.

Ceres dominated the first half and scored the opening goal in the 26th minute.

Japanese defender Kota Kawase raced ahead of Darul Ta’zim’s Marcos Antonio and guided Kevin Ingreso’s free kick into the back of net past keeper Farizal.

However, Gabriel Guerra equalised for the visitors with a grounder at the edge of the box in the 66th minute.

Ceres will face Singapore’s Home United in the AFC Cup zonal final in August. Ajitpal Singh