Perak were undoubtedly the favorites on paper for their first-leg semi-final FA Cup tie with PKNS in the Hang Jebat Stadium but the Red Ants managed to hold them off to a draw, thanks to none other than Gabriel Guerra.
The striker, who hails from Argentina, added his name to the score sheet twice in this fixture. His first goal came from a spot kick, nothing surprising from that as he has scored every penalty kick he got this season. His second goal, was a solo masterpiece. The Argentinian striker used his physical trait to shove off Perak’s Shahrul Saad before using his tricky feet to confuse Perak’s defence which eventually led to an open goal for Guerra to finish it.
Guerra was a beast as he managed to go against the likes of Thiago Junior, who scored a dramatic equalizer for The Bos Gaurus. His tactical awareness was immaculate as he made perfect attacking runs while avoiding the offside trap.
The chemistry between Guerra and his fellow countryman, Juan Manuel Cobelli was also solid as they both understood each other’s runs, allowing them to penetrate Perak’s defence on multiple occasions.
But of course, there were a couple of other notable mentions. Syamsul Saad’s men managed two come back with after two equalizers, one from Thiago and another coming from Nurridzuan Abu Hassan, both using their heads to perfection. As usual, Thiago dominated Perak’s defence, displaying passion and conviction in his tackles while Nurridzuan terrified PKNS’ goalie, G. Jeevananthan with two well-executed attempts.
The second-leg of the FA Cup semi-final will be held at the Perak Stadium.
Other posts by Lekshman Subramaniam
