GROUP D REMAINS TIGHT RACE

All four teams have chance to move to Malaysia Cup q-finals

SELANGOR are in danger of missing out on a quarter-final spot in the Malaysia Cup for a second straight season after they were held 1-1 by Melaka at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.

In a tight Group D, Melaka, Selangor and Felda United have each earned seven points, followed by Premier League side Police on five.

The final group matches are

scheduled on Wednesday.

The Red Giants will travel to the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium in Jengka to face Felda while Police and Melaka will face off at the Hang Jebat Stadium.

On Saturday, Selangor took the lead in the 38th minute through winger Khyril Muhymeen Zambri, only for Saiful Riduwan Selamat to equalise for Melaka a minute after the breather.

In another group match, S. Chanturu’s goal in the 59th minute earned Felda a 1-0 success over Police for their second straight win in the group.

Selangor coach B. Satiananthan said: “I am not so happy with the result.

“Some players were quite tried. It is not easy to play on a heavy pitch here.

“The Melaka defence stood well, we had chances but did not take them,” said the former national coach.

Melaka coach Zainal Abidin Hassan was expecting a win over Selangor after the equaliser.

“We tried hard to score a second goal for three points but my players could not convert chances.

“I think we have only made things very difficult for ourselves. We could have sealed our spot in the quarter-finals much earlier had we won the last two home matches against Selangor and Felda.

“I hope my boys will get it right in our final game against Police,” said Zainal.

In Jengka, Felda coach Nidzam Jamil said: “Our win over Police has complicated things for other teams as we have kept the race for the quarter-final spots open.

“My players were disciplined and followed instructions to win the match.”

Police coach E. Elavarasan felt his team could have earned a point on Saturday.

“Our attack was not sharp enough. We created chances, but it was Felda who won for the three points.

“I feel anything can happen in the next 90 minutes. It is an exciting group and all we need is to win our last game to reach the quarter-finals,” said the former Public Bank coach.