PETALING JAYA, Aug 13 – It rained throughout the match when Kedah FC resumed their long awaited Super League campaign on the wrong foot with a 4-2 defeat to bitter rival Selangor FC at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar on Friday.
The rain was no blessing for the Red Eagles, but it did for the Red Giants, who rode with the tide after the hamsters who were reduced to 10 players after defender Renan Alves was given a red card for stopping the ball on the goal line in the 27th minute.
The red card cost Kedah dearly with Ifedayo Olusegun scored from the ensuing penalty – with the ball hitting Kedah goalkeeper Shahril Sha’ari after it came off the left post and rolled into the net
The equaliser gave Selangor a much needed breathing space after Kedah had taken the through Kpah Sherman after exchanging a one-two with Kipre Tchetche.
Sherman long range attempt sailed into the far top far corner – leaving Selangor custodian Sikh Izhan well beaten.
With their numerical advantage, Selangor pressed forward and went ahead on 30 minutes when youngster Danial Asri hitting target.
However, Kedah fought back, and did not take things lying down. Instead, the Red Eagles were back in the picture when Singaporean defender Anumantan Kumar sent a looping header into the net for a 2-2 score before the halftime break.
The heavy pitch gave Selangor the upper hand and Olusegun added two more to his tally – with strikes in the 75th and deep into injury time (92) for a 4-2 win.
Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) are strongly placed at the top of the 12-team league with 45 points from 18 matches.
East Coast hopefuls Terengganu is second on 37 points with Penang third on 31 from 17 matches.
Selangor sneaked into fourth spot on 29 points from 18 matches followed by Kedah on 26 points from 14 matches. Kedah next play Penang on Tuesday.
About The Author
