Warriors rule
Kelantan completed a historic M-League treble after edging Armed Forces 3-2 in a thrilling Malaysia Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium last night. Veteran Indra Putra Mahayuddin was the hero for the Red Warriors when he scored the winner in the 96th minute to hand the east coast side their second Malaysia Cup. Earlier in the season, they won the Super League title and the FA Cup. Kelantan’s sensational striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha hit a brace in the 44th and 50th minutes but Forces replied through Rezal Zambry Yahya in the 49th and Marlon Alex James in the 62nd to force the match into extra-time.
SHAH ALAM: Kelantan fans turned the Shah Alam Stadium into a sea of red and white for their Malaysia Cup final against Armed Forces last night.
The 86th edition of the Cup final seemed almost like an all-Kelantan affair as 90% of the 88,000seater stadium was filled up by the Red Warriors supporters.
It was a carnival atmosphere especially for the 40,000 Kelantan fans who came in 100 buses chartered by their fan club.
Although the game was only scheduled to kick off at 8.45pm, the gates were opened as early as at 4pm and by 7pm, the stadium was filled to near capacity. The fans, who came in the thousands, mostly brought the whole family including toddlers for the finale.
The mini concert and games booth outside the stadium by local artists kept the fans enthralled before the gates were open.
A sudden downpour at 7.15pm failed to dampen the supports spirit and they were back at their roaring best when the rain stopped.
The Kelantan fans clearly came prepared – with scarves, posters and placards – to spur their players on to complete their treble – Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup.
Among the more eye-catching banners unfurled by the Kelantan fans were Gelombang Merah and the Kelantan battle-cry Gomo Kelate Gomo.
Some even had their faces painted in their teams colours and the Red Warriors stole the show by unfurling a giant banner proclaiming “This is Kota Baru” and letting off colourful smoke bombs.
The VIPs at the match were FAM president Sultan Ahmad Shah, Sports Minister Datuk Seri Shabeery Cheek and the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi.
The Kelantan fans may have outnumbered their Forces counterparts but the club sides supporters proved to be more boisterous as their cheering and chanting never ceased.
The decibel levels in the stadium went up a notch when the players took to the pitch for their warm-up sessions.
And the noise reached a crescendo when the starting 11 from both sides marched onto the pitch for the kick-off.