Selangor players talk to match official Mohd Fairuzi Mat Desa during the FA Cup second round match between Selangor and Sarawak at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium yesterday. — Bernama photo
Zamri and Eldstal celebrating Sarawak’s goal in the 33rd minute. — Photo by www.asiana.my
KUCHING: The Red Giants are dead. Sarawak eliminated traditional Malaysia football powerhouse Selangor in the FA Cup at Kelana Jaya yesterday.
Ten Crocs withstood Selangor’s onslaught – five shots on and six shots off target – as Robert Alberts masterminded an impressive 1-0 win to qualify for the FA Cup quarter-finals.
And it was Sarawak-born Zamri Morshidi who scored the solitary goal in the 33rd minute that clinched victory. He escaped a sea of Selangor players in their penalty box to slot home Ronny Harun’s throw-in.
Selangor pressed hard for the equaliser but it never came – thanks to stout defending by Sarawak’s Gabor Gyepes-led backline.
Playing away on notoriously difficult pitch conditions, Sarawak’s triumph was made all the more remarkable as goalkeeper Sani Anuar Kamsani was red-carded for a professional foul on Selangor’s Mohd Fitri Syazwan just outside the penalty box in the 62nd minute.
Reserve goalie Mohd Fadzley Abdul Rahim, making his debut for Sarawak, did not disappoint as he made a few crucial saves, most notably in the 80th minute, stopping a powerful shot from import Andik Vermansyah.
Fadzley had come in for striker Alireza Abbasfard.
The Crocs also came close when Junior Eldstal’s shot went wide in the dying minutes of the game.
Head coach Robert Alberts could not help savouring a famous victory by his boys.
He told The Borneo Post after the match: “We managed to disrupt Selangor’s rhythm of play and not let them have the amount of possession that they wanted.”
The loss was surely a big blow for Selangor who currently top the Super League table.
Sarawak fans who travelled to the MPPJ Stadium to support the Crocs were amply rewarded.
Some of them could not be blamed for celebrating as if their team have already won the FA Cup!