Police pay heavy price as Reuben and De Paula are suspended

PETALING JAYA: Police paid a heavy price for their stunning 2-1 win over fancied Kelantan in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals.

The Cops ended the match, at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Sunday, with just nine men after defender K. Reuben and Brazilian striker Guilerhme De Paula were sent off .

Reuben saw red in the 61st minute after picking up a second bookable offence for a foul on Indra Putra Mahayuddin while De Paula received his marching orders deep into added time for time-wasting.

The duo will miss the return leg at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Malacca on Sept 17.

Police coach Fauzi Pilus described the win as a “testament to my players’ character and fighting spirit”.

“Playing in Kota Baru is always a daunting task for any team ... it’s a very difficult place to get a result. We were just looking at getting an away goal or two and a draw, but my players did exceptionally well for the win,” said Fauzi yesterday.

“We didn’t expect to win. Anyway, our semi-final ticket is not confirmed yet. But, if we can show the same resilience in the return leg, we should have no problem advancing to the semi-finals.”

Police opened scoring through Singapore international Safuwan Baharuddin in the fourth minute but Indra equalised in the 15th minute. De Paula restored Police’s lead eight minute later. Then came the two dismissals. And Fauzi was quick to admit that the absence of Reuben and De Paula would “make our task that much harder for the return tie”.

“I have no complaints over the red cards ... the players made mistakes and were punished,” said Fauzi.

“It will be harder for us in the second leg, but we will play a Super League match before that ... there’s plenty of time for me to get their replacements ready for the return leg.”