KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor FC overcame two sendings-off and a 17-minute power cut to beat Kuching City FC 5-3 on penalties after winning the FA Cup quarter-final, return leg tie 3-2 for a 4-4 aggregate at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium last night.
Selangor secured their semi-final spot after Muhammad Safuwan Baharudin, Aliff Haiqal Lokman Hakim Lau, Muhamad Syahir Bashah, Muhammad Aliff Izwan Yuslan and Harith Haiqal Adam Fakar slotted home from the spot in the shootout while Kuching City’s Yuki Tanigawa fluffed his line.
Kuching City, who won the first leg 2-1, stunned the home team when Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin netted in the 15th minute for a 3-1 aggregate lead.
That woke Selangor up and goals by Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili (27th minute) and Alvin Mateus Fortes (39th minute) levelled the aggregate score at 3-3.
Alvin then put Selangor 4-3 up in injury time (90+4) but Kuching City refused to surrender and Mohamad Alif Hassan equalised a minute later to make it 4-4 and take the game into extra time.
Although neither team could break the deadlock in extra time, the game exploded into life with Selangor having two players being sent off, Yohandry Jose Orozo Cujia and Reziq Mohamed Saleh Banihani.
Then came the shootout. And Selangor had the last laugh.
Over at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, Terengganu FC (TFC) stormed into the last four with a 7-0 aggregate after defeating Sabah FC 3-0 in the quarter-finals, return-leg match yesterday.
Goals by Safawi Rasid (10th minute), Akhyar Rashid (43rd minute) and Martin Pilj (88th minute) wrapped up a convincing win for the Turtles, who travelled to Sabah on a high after winning the first-leg tie 4-0 at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus on June 28.
The stage is now set for Selangor and TFC to battle it out in the semi-finals on Aug 3. – Bernama
