KUCHING: Sarawak squad made it to the semifinals of the Challenge Cup despite playing a scoreless draw against JDT II at the Sarawak Stadium in Petra Jaya, here, Thursday night. The Crocs finished second place in Group A and qualified for the semifinals of the tournament together with JDT II, who prior to the match against Sarawak had already confirmed the semifinal berth.
Sarawak’s first semifinal match will be against UKM at home on Sept 20. JDT II collected nine points to top Group A while Sarawak have four points with three points for Kelantan.
In Group B, UKM and TT team collected 11 points each but UKM top the group based on goal difference.
Sarawak coach Mohamad Denny Da’ail said his players put up a sterling performance, especially goalkeeper Saiful Wazizi who palmed out numerous attempts from JDT II import players in the final minutes of the match.
“The players were playing with full confidence and were focusing on the game. They held their nerves and were confident in their possession although they played against an experienced team like JDT II.” Denny said he was happy with the draw although before the match his team faced several challenges, including losing three of its key players — Shreen, Rahman and George.
“Our preparation was affected due to the thick haze which enveloped the stadium but I must praise all my players for their positive attitude.
“They told me that they wanted to win and qualify for the semifinals and they made it although we only managed a draw,” said Denny. On the semifinal match, Denny admitted that it will be a very tough one as UKM are a strong team with good foreign imports as well as local players.
