Negri put Police in the slammer to reach Razak Cup semis
IPOH: Last year’s runners-up Police are out of the Division One semi-finals after being thumped 5-1 by Negri Sembilan in their final Group B match in the Razak Cup competition at the Azlan Shah Stadium.
Negri went into the match with just one point while Police had two after earlier draws with Johor and Perak.
Perak drew 1-1 with Johor to top the group with five points.
In the semi-finals, Negri will play Group A winners Terengganu while Perak will meet Melaka.
Negri headed into yesterday’s game against Police knowing they had to win to advance to the last four.
Playing with far more urgency, Police got their goals through Kavin Kartic (10th and 58th minutes), Manraj Singh (21st), Dangerous Lee (24th) and Mohd Marhan Mohd Jalil (38th).
Police scored their consolation goal through defender Mohd Razie Rahim in the 23rd minute.
“The players gave a very polished display and were confident in executing their moves,” said Negri coach S. Chandran.
We needed to minimise our mistakes and make sure we take our chances. That’s exactly what they did.
“The early two-goal lead also gave us the advantage.
“We now have a one-day break to prepare for the semi-final against Terengganu.”
In the other Group B game, Perak did just enough to get the point they needed to make the semi-finals.
National player Mohd Najib Abu Hassan put Perak in the lead with a 19th minute penalty corner goal.
Johor only managed to equalise in the 56th minute when Mohd Nor Akmal Abdul Ghaffar scored off a penalty corner set piece.
In Division Two, Pahang joined Selangor in the semi-finals from Group A after trouncing Thailand 5-1.
In Group B, Perlis topped the group with a 4-1 win over Kedah. Armed Forces finished second in the group to pip Kedah to the other semi-final slot.
In the semi-finals, Pahang will face Perlis while Selangor will meet Armed Forces.