Selangor have clinched the Malaysia Cup title after a comfortable 2-0 win over Kedah at the Shah Alam Stadium.
The game was expected to be a close one from the get go and while that certainly was the case for most parts of it, the Red Giants produced two moments of brilliance through Hazwan Bakri, to seal the deal.
The deadlock was broken within the first four minutes of the game, as Hazwan Bakri fired home on the 4th minute to send the Selangor crowd absolutely wild.
Kedah kept pushing on the offensive and they came close on two separate occasions, particularly through Sandro, though Norazlan Razali produced stunning saves to keep the score line in favour of the home side.
Krasniqi could have made it 1-1 on the 24th minute, but his attempt missed the target by inches. Selangor held on till half-time, but they were incredibly quick to hit Kedah after the restart, scoring on the 48th minute. Hazwan Bakri produced a stunning finish to make it 2-0 and put Selangor in the driving seat for the rest of the game.
From this moment on, it was all about playing catch-up for Kedah. They upped the tempo and went on the offensive – which culminated in Sandro having a clear one-on-one opportunity on the 67th minute. Norazlan though, manifested an incredible save to deny the Brazilian.
Kedah launched waves after waves of attack, but the rock solid performance of Rob Cornthwaite and co barely allowed any space for the Canaries to make an impact on the final third. As the game progressed, the pressure inevitably got to Kedah as well, with goalkeeper Firdaus being sent off for handling the ball outside his penalty area.
The Red Giants maintained their composure and kept the ball organized in the final few minutes, as they effectively clinched a historic 33rd Malaysia Cup title, to further cement their status as the most successful team in Malaysian football’s history.
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