Skippers’ stage Shah Alam Stadium, 9pm tonight
Contrast in Tchetche and Shahrul’s characters adds colour to finale
At the heart of tonight’s Malaysia Cup final between Terengganu and Perak at the Shah Alam Stadium will be the clash between two colourful captains – one a foreigner and the other a local. Terengganu skipper Kipre Tchetche, from the Ivory Coast, is a cool customer while Perak’s assistant captain Shahrul Saad – leading in the absence of injured captain Nasir Basharuddin – is fired-up to win. This battle between the ice-cool and the fire-hot promises a grand finale to the local football season. Will slow and steady win the race for the Turtles or will the Seladang gallop away with Malaysian football’s holy grail?
Ready for battle: Perak coach Mehmet Durakovic (left) and Terengganu coach Irfan Bakti posing with the Malaysia Cup after a press conference at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday. Below: Terengganu captain Kipre Tchetche (front) in action during a training session at the Sime Darby FC training field in Bukit Jelutong yesterday. — FAIHAN GHANI/ The Star
We are similar based on our past records. This match will decide who’s the best team in the country after Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT). Both teams have not won any silverware for some time. Irfan Bakti
SHAH ALAM: Terengganu skipper Kipre Tchetche is a cool customer while Perak’s assistant captain Shahrul Saad is fired-up.
But expect a grand finale as Tchetche and Shahrul – who will lead the Seladang in the absence of injured skipper Nasir Basharuddin – aim to inspire their teams to success when they collide in the Malaysia Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium tonight.
Ivory Coast striker Tchetche is enjoying a dream debut season with the East Coast side in the M-League after guiding them to the final by scoring seven goals.
The fans’ expectations are running high and the team management is desperate for success but the 30-year-old Tchetche is not going to let the pressure get to him.
Tchetche is in the running for the Malaysia Cup Golden Boot with teammate Lee Tuck and Perak striker Gilmar Filho.
All three have scored seven goals in the Malaysia Cup.
The Turtles’ last silverware came in 2011 when they won the FA Cup and they last won the Malaysia Cup in 2001.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.
“For me, it’s just another match, the difference is we’re going to play in front of a bigger crowd,” he said.
“At this point, my focus is on visualising match situations ahead of the game and thinking of what I should do.
“Scoring goals or winning the Golden Boot has never been my main target.
“My aim is to get the win and it doesn’t matter who scores the goals.”
Shahrul admitted he has big boots to fill in the final but the responsibility is not weighing him down.
Instead, he is out to emulate his elder brother Syamsul Saad, who won the Malaysia Cup with the Seladang in 2000.
“Nasir (Perak captain) is a key figure for us and he’s always there for us. He won’t be playing in the final but we know he’ll be cheering for us from the stands,” said Shahrul, nicknamed “Badak” for his tenacious brand of football.
“The armband is a massive responsibility but I don’t think it puts extra pressure on me because I’ve led the team in our previous matches.
“My focus is on executing our game plan.
“I would love to win the Malaysia Cup like my brother.
“I’m a Perak boy and we have not won any silverware for some time, so I really, really want to win the Malaysia Cup.” another final but we have to forget the previous result.
“In a match like this, the team that makes the most mistakes will be punished. We will be cautious in the opening minutes and see what happens as the match progress.”
Perak coach Mehmet Durakovic will have a chance to hoist the Malaysia Cup for the fifth time but pointed out Terengganu, who beat defending champions JDT in the semi-finals, were the favourites.
Durakovic won the Malaysia Cup three times as a player with Selangor from 1995-97, before guiding the Klang Valley giants to the title for the first time as a coach in 2015.
The former Australian international downplayed his journey with Perak and said it was a different one and praised his players’ grit in reaching the final.
“Winning the Malaysia Cup again will be a perfect story to share with my grandchildren,” said Durakovic.
“It’s up to the Perak players to win the Malaysia Cup now, they have done well to reach this stage and I could not ask for anything more.
“We had a good season, finishing second in the Super League and now we’re closer to ending our title wait.
“We’ve had a good preparation for the final, it’s not going to be easy as we’ll miss some players due to injuries but we have others, who’ve done well when given the chance.
“We’ve a young team, most of whom have not played in a final or won a title compared to Terengganu, who have experienced players. I think this experience will make the difference in the final.”