Four and counting
Terengganu retain TNB Cup after penalty shootout win
KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu won their fourth straight TNB Cup, thanks to a thrilling penalty shootout win over Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC).
After a 4-4 draw in regulation time in yesterday’s final at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium, Terengganu prevailed 5-4 in the shootout.
Terengganu converted all their attempts through Faizal Saari, Wan Mohamed Hazrul, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Fitri Saari and Ahmad Shakeel Butt. Only Joel van Huizen missed the attempt for KLHC. Mohamed Syamin Yusof, Meor Mohamed Azuan, Dedy Ariyadi and Kleinschmidt Aaron Craig were on target.
Both teams shared the prize money with each getting RM80,000.
Terengganu coach Sarjit Singh was full of relief after the win.
“KLHC gave us a tough fight. But we fought till the end and that was what mattered most. Credit to them for making it such a wonderful game,” he said.
Both teams went in search of an early goal from the get-go. It was KLHC who grabbed the lead after only nine minutes through German Anton Fritz Ebelling, who scored the winning goal when they won the Premier Division title on Feb 19.
Terengganu, however, managed to hit back in the 12th minute when they earned their first penalty corner. South Korean Jang Jung-hyun made no mistake with his drag flick to put the teams on level terms.
In the second quarter, KLHC surged to the lead again in the 19th minute with national player Mohamed Razie Rahim firing home from a penalty corner.
KLHC increased the lead to 3-1 in the 25th minute, again through a penalty corner when Anton deflected home Razie’s flick.
But Jung-hyun managed to reduce the deficit to 2-3 in the 35th minute. He made no mistake after Terengganu were awarded a penalty stroke.
The east coast side continued to surge forward. Jung-hyun scored his hat-trick in the 49th minute when he converted a penalty corner to take his season’s tally to 28 goals.
But KLHC surprised Terengganu by winning a penalty stroke against the run of play in the 53rd minute. Mohamed Syamin duly converted to make it 4-3.
Nicholas Enrique Torre, however, came to Terengganu’s rescue. He netted a field goal in the 57th minute to take the final into a shootout.