SHAH ALAM, 28 Oct 2018:
Perak head coach Mehmet Durakovic was all smiles after clinching the Malaysia Cup title for the fifth time in his football career.
The 53-year-old Australian had previously won the Malaysia Cup thrice as player – in 1995, 1996 and 1997 – and in 2015 as head coach of Selangor.
Perak won the Malaysia Cup title for the eighth time by defeating Terengganu FC (TFC) 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out after both teams were tied 3-3 in the final at the Shah Alam Stadium last night.
The previous titles were won in 1926, 1931, 1957, 1967, 1970, 1998 and 2000.
“To win with Perak after so many years and winning the cup after trailing 0-2 at halftime is amazing, and for me, tonight’s match should go down into Malaysian football history,” he told a press conference after the match.
“This stadium holds big memories for me and my family as my kids grew up here and I’ve regarded Malaysia as my second home,” said Durakovic, who also hailed the fighting spirit of his players.
Tomorrow (Oct 29) will be a state holiday as Perak won the Malaysia Cup final. State Youth and Sports Development Committee chairman Howard Lee Chuan How said the matter was decided after a discussion with Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu in accordance with the Holidays Act 1951.
Meanwhile, TFC head coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim admitted luck did not favour the Turtles Squad in the penalty shootout – but he was still proud of the stellar performance by many of his players who were playing in front of a huge crowd for the very first time.
“For me, the penalty shootout is like the lottery and luck was not on our side. We lost to Perak in the match, but won in many other aspects and I applaud the game played by my players tonight.”
Irfan, who will remain as TFC coach for next season, said captain Brice Hermann Tchétché Kipré was effective up front with his brace – though he had also hoped for Abdul Malik Mat Ariff, and K. Partiban to add to the scoreline.
In a stadium packed to the brim with supporters from both sides, Perak goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizul Hakim Jothy emerged the hero – saving the opponents’ first two spot kicks, earning Perak its eighth title.
TFC and Perak met in the Malaysian Cup finals after 17 years – which brought back memories of their classic encounters in 1998 and 2001.
TFC entered the final through a 3-2 aggregate win over defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim while Perak advanced after thrashing Sabah 7-2 over two-legs of the semifinal.
Perak last lifted the Malaysia Cup in 1998, winning 5-3 in the penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
TFC (known as Terengganu in 2001) were crowned champions in 2001 after defeating Perak 2-1 in the match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
TFC went ahead just 48 seconds into the match after star striker Kipre Tchetche latched onto a loose ball following a poor back-pass by Perak midfielder Mohamad Idris Ahmad.
The aggressive atmosphere of the match, coupled with referee Suresh Jayaraman’s decision to award many advantages and allowing the game to continue, resulted in a flurry of attacks in both directions.
At the end of the first half, Perak’s poor attempt to get the ball out of its half resulted in an interception by TFC midfielder Abdul Malik Mat Arif – who passed it to Kipre, and the Ivorian made no mistake in doubling the lead, helping himself to a brace in the process.
The second half saw the resurgence of Mehmet Durakovic’s men who came flying out of the blocks to halve the lead through Muhammad Firdaus Saiyadi’s strike in the 46th minute.
After the goal, the match which was attended by 78,783 spectators became tensed with several incidents on the pitch, which eventually led to red cards for Perak striker Gilmar da Silva (58th minutes) and TFC’s Lee Andrew Tuck (66th minute).
Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ) slammed the poor refereeing during the Malaysia Cup final match. The Malaysia Football League (MFL) chairman said he was caught by surprise when Suresh – who he has “never seen” – was picked to take charge of the match.
He said this was why MFL wanted to bring in foreign referees for important matches, an idea which FAM referees committee chairman Subkhiddin Salleh disagreed.
“Subkhiddin said it apparently belittles the local referees. It is not about that. This is because we need help, you can read MFL’s previous articles. Even the Thai League has used foreign referees in important matches. We can take a similar initiative,” TMJ tweeted
But as supporters from the East Coast were jubilantly celebrating their lead and what seemed to be an imminent victory, The Bos Gaurus squad pulled off a stunning comeback as Brendan Gan’s solid shot into the back of the net dragged the match into extra time.
TFC once again went ahead as Mohd Faiz scored a screamer in the 96th minute but an own-goal by Igor Zonjic in the last minute of the game forced the penalty shootout.
The 1998 Malaysian Cup final came back to haunt the TFC side as Irfan Bakti’s men fell to a 1-4 defeat in the shootout.
– Bernama