Dismal Sarawak players react after the third penalty miss that sent the team packing in the football quarterfi nals. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: It was a heartbreaking exit for Sa rawak who hel d defending champions Perak to a 2-2 stalemate after extra-time ((fulltime: 1-1) but crashed out on penalties in their Sukma quarterfinal football match at Stadium Negeri on Tuesday.
Team manager Ahmad Zaki Zaidi said the host put up a brave fi ght in front of 4,000 spectators, to match Perak for 120 minutes before eventually losing out 3-0 on penalties.
“There’s no shame in the loss. We are proud with what the players had produced throughout this tournament. They played with high spirits to match Perak. In fact, they came back twice after a goal down to fi nish the game at 2-2.
Luck was not on our side as the fi rst three players missed their penalties,” he said in post-match comments. Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin, Tommy Mawat Mada and Awang Muhammad Faiz Hazziq Awang Fatih missed the penalties, as set Perak up a semi-fi nal date against Sabah at Unimas Stadium today (July 28; kickoff: 3.45pm).
The visitors drew first blood in a thrilling match of attacking fo otba l l , when top s t r iker Muhammad Aiedil Shafi q Aznan found the net in the 36th minute.
Tommy cancelled Perak’s opener with a beautifully executed goal four minutes later. In the second half, Perak took on the offensive only to be denied by a resilient Sarawak defence marshalled by Rodney Celvin Akwensivie. The score remained 1-1 to go into extra time.
Perak took only five minutes into extra time to find a second goal through Harris Roslee. As the visiting team lowered their tempo, opting to play down the clock for a 2-1 win, Awang Iskandar Awang Chek salvaged a late equaliser to bring the match into penalties.