End of a long wait
Perak finally got their hands on theth Malaysia Cup after 18 years with the 4-1 defeat of Terengganu in a penalty shootout at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday.
SHAH ALAM: Perak ended their 18-year wait to lift their eighth Malaysia Cup trophy after a pulsating final.
The Seladang edged Terengganu 4-1 in the penalty shootout after a thrilling match that ended 3-3 after extra time as both teams played with 10 men at the Shah Alam Stadium last night.
Perak goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy was the hero for the Silver State as he made two saves in the shootout.
Terengganu had taken the lead through skipper Kipre Tchetche’s first-half brace in the first and 42nd minutes before Perak turned on the heat in the second half with goals from Muhammad Firdaus Sayadi (46th minute) and Brendan Gan (90th minute).
Mohd Faiz Mohd Nasir then put Terengganu back in front in the 95th minute of extra time but an own goal by Terengganu’s Igor Zonjic in the 119th minute forced the match into penalty shootout.
Tchetche started the ball rolling as he pounced on Perak’s two defensive errors from defender Mohd Idris Ahmad and custo- dian Hafizul to give his side a 2-0 lead in the first half.
In the second half, Firdaus closed the gap as he struck inside the box after receiving a through ball from Brendan in the 46th minute before the match turned ugly.
A scuffle broke out after Firdaus went up with a stud up challenge on Zonjic, prompting the Serbian defender to push Firdaus in the back of the neck and the situation turned worse with both sets of players getting involved and throwing punches at each other.
Referee Suresh Jayaraman struggled to control the situation and flashed the yellow card to Zonjic and a second yellow to Perak’s Gilmar Filho in the 57th minute after consulting the assistant referees.
The decision prompted Perak fans to show their displeasure by throwing water bottles from the stands.
Incensed with the sending off, Gilmar and Perak players harangued Suresh before the Brazilian stormed off the pitch.
It was Terengganu’s turn to be reduced to 10 players after Lee Tuck picked up his second booking for a rough challenge in the 66th minute.