PAHANG MARCH ON
Defending champs thrash Terengganu to reach FA Cup semi-finals
PAHANG coach Dollah Salleh praised his players for their momentous effort of reaching the FA Cup semi-finals on Friday. Trailing 2-1 from the quarter-final first leg, the defending champions thrashed Terengganu 4-0 with goals from Faisal Abdul Halim (seventh minute), Dickson Nwakaeme (48th and 63rd) and Mohamadou Sumareh (74th) in Kuantan for a 5-2 aggregate success.
“We created a lot of chances today (Friday). The players played to instructions while striker Nwakaeme and midfielder Safuwan Baharudin provided the depth for this win,” said Dollah on Friday.
However, Dollah is worried that Nwakaeme could miss Tuesday’s Super
League clash against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in Larkin.
“Nwakaeme picked up a problem in today’s match. I hope it is not serious because he offers confidence when he plays,” Dollah added.
Terengganu coach Irfan Bakti was sarcastic when describing the manner of the defeat.
“Congratulations to Pahang. We did not get yellow cards today. My players played a clean game,” he said.
“We were not aggressive at all. The fasting month shouldn’t be an excuse to not perform.
“I told the players to play possession football and to attack, but instead they played long balls.
“I am not asking for yellow cards, but in football, you need to be aggressive.”
Irfan added that only Ivory Coast striker Kipre Tchetche and goalkeeper Suffian Rahman played well on Friday. RESULTS — FA Cup, Q-Finals, return leg: Pahang 4 Terengganu 0 (Pahang won 5-2 on aggregate), Kedah 1 PKNS 1 (Kedah won 4-2 on aggregate).
FIXTURES — Premier League, Today: Selangor Utd v JDT II (MBPJ Stadium), Negri Sembilan v TFC II (Paroi Stadium) — Matches at 10pm.