PETALING JAYA, Nov 15 – Defending champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) could only manage a scoreless draw against an understrength Kedah in the first-leg Malaysia Cup quarter-final match at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar on Sunday.
Kedah were without three of their key foreign pillars – Kipre Tchetche (Ivory Coast), Rabih Ataya (Lebanon) and Anumanthan Kumar (Singapore) because of national duty for their respective countries – it was morale boosting stalemate that keeps their flickering hopes alive for the return-leg this Thursday.
The return-leg will be played at the Sultan Ismail Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru and the Southern Tigers won the season opener 2-0 (which was in the Charity Shield match, which also counted towards the league. JDT also won the return-leg league match 1-0 in Alor Setar.
Sunday’s match saw eight players getting into the referee’s little book. It was a hotly contested match that threatened to get into a free for all after skirmishes from both sides.
Putting that aside, it was the Klang Valley derby between Selangor FC and Kuala Lumpur City FC. The much talked about Selangor’s German DNA under chief coach Kartsen Neitzel took another blow with the City Boys winning 2-0.
Colombian hitman Romel Morales, had a goal disallowed as early as the 10th minute for an infringement but there was stopping the lanky ace in the pack when he headed home on 14 minutes from an assist Ryan Lambert.
KL’s Croatian head coach Bojan Hodak is on the verge for a place in the last four with the City Boys having a proud unbeaten home record at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras.
At the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, Melaka United snatched a 1-0 win over the Rhinos with Haitian hitman Sony Norde netting the all important goal in the 52nd. Norde fired the winner with an unstoppable shot into the right corner after a Sabah defender failed to make a clean clearance.
At the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu FC was made to slog for their 2-1 win over Sarawak United.
International Faisal Halim got the home fans celebrating with the opening goal for the Turtles in the 16th minute – planting a scorcher past Sarawak United goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee from outside the box.
However. it was all square five minutes later when Terengganu defender Shahrul Nizam Ros Hasni headed the ball into his own net. Faiz Nasir netted the winner for Terengganu in the 51st minute.
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