On Saturday night, it wouldn’t only be about a cup final. Kelantan and LionsXII have went through a considerable amount of difficulties to get to this stage, so the value of a cup final will always be there – that’s a given. But this time around though, it will be far more than just that.
Just two years ago, before the resurgence of Johor DT and the trickle-down effect that it brought to the Malaysian football scene, Kelantan were the ultimate powerhouses. Under the tutelage of Bojan Hodak, they won the treble in 2012 and while they failed to maintain the same momentum a year later, there was still reasons to celebrate as they clinched the FA Cup title for the second time in a row.
LionsXII on the other hand, were no pushovers when they first joined the MSL. Equipped with players like Baihakki Khaizan, Shahril Ishak, and Hariss Harun, they finished second in the 2012 Super League table, made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup in the same year. One year later, the Singaporeans won the Super League title, before also making it to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
But when 2014 came into the picture, both sides faltered. And it wouldn’t take a Nobel Prize winner to see the common factor between the downfall of both teams as well – mass exodus of crucial players. Hariss Harun and Baihakki Khaizan left for Johor DT, while Shahril Ishak joined JDT II. V. Sundramoorthy, who was incredibly successful in his two years with LionsXII, also left the team to join Negeri Sembilan as head coach.
The Red Warriors also lost players – in fact they had almost eight of them leave within one transfer window, including NOrfarhan Muhammad and Dickson Nwakaeme. Bojan Hodak also opted to resign, leaving Kelantan with a fresh team in 2014, exactly how LionsXII were as well.
Visibly enough, that did not bode well with both sides. Kelantan finished 6th in the league last, scraped its way into the semis of the FA Cup as well as the quarters of the Malaysia Cup. LionsXII finished 8th in the league, made it to the second round of the FA Cup and failed to progress beyond the group stages of the Malaysia Cup.
And so it was confirmed. Two teams that were once at their utmost best, were struggling to find their feet and that impacted player confidence, investor confidence, their ability to generate any form of belief on the pitch – it changed the entire dynamics of the team. Kota Bharu, which was once a major fortress for the Red Warriors, was just another away stadium for other teams now.
However, tonight is an opportunity for both teams to change that. A victory at the Bukit Jalil Stadium will not only grant them silverware, but also the belief to be able to turn things around within the MSL spectrum. A win tonight, will remind them what success tastes like and that would be able to reinvigorate the deeply-rooted passion within every single player in both teams.
“In front of the capacity crowd, we will have to pull out an A-game – that will be amazing. I hope luck will be on our side as well, but of course, I’m full of confidence as well,” Faris Ramli told LionsXII’s official website.
“For me, my personal belief is that the team will do well if we all believe in ourselves that we will lift the trophy at the end.”
But Azraai Khor is also a smart head coach. Having been in this situation with Negeri Sembilan and Kedah prior to this, Azraai knows that despite LionsXII’s inexperience, underestimating them will only backfire against their hopes of winning the trophy.
“I don’t agree that the Lions are the underdogs … they are in the final and that’s it. If you look closely, they have so many talented players who can win the match for them,” Azraai said during the pre-match press conference.
“They won’t be easy opponents. I’ve warned my men not to underestimate them. Malaysian pride is at stake here … we are representing the other Malaysian teams in the final, so we want to win this one for all of Malaysia.”
Either way, the stage is set for an impeccable battle between two sides that are almost inseparable based on squad depth and sheer strength. Like it or not, they had to prove their mettle to get into this stage, and let’s hope we get a spectacle that’s absolutely worth it’s weight.
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