Late drama: Sarawak held to 4-4 draw

KOTA SAMARAHAN: A pulsating 4-4 draw between Sarawak and Perak in the Men’s Futsal Group B of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) kept spectators on the edge of their seats at the Samarahan Indoor Stadium yesterday.

Perak drew first blood through Syaufi Ramlie’s strike in the opening minute, the quickest goal of the tournament so far.

Sarawak responded swiftly with a Perak own goal two minutes later.

The first half was a rollercoaster as Perak regained the lead with goals from Mohd Hasilawi and Mohd Amirul Aiman.

Sarawak pulled one back through a Ashraf Zakaris penalty after Perak accumulated six fouls, making it 3-2 at halftime.

The second half was equally dramatic. Another Perak own goal by Amirul Hamdan levelled the score before Aidel Iswandi put Sarawak ahead.

However, a late goal from Perak’s Hadi Azhan ensured a thrilling draw.

Sarawak coach Mohd Faizal Zamri credited the passionate home crowd for inspiring his team’s comeback.
“The incredible support from the fans drove the team to score in such a tense situation. A goalkeeping error by a Perak player worked in our favour and gave us more opportunities to search for goals afterward,” he said.

Sarawak captain Mohd Azrin Shahmin Jefery praised his team’s defensive resilience but admitted they could have won.

“InsyaAllah, we will win against Pahang,” he said.