Perak fans were left frustrated again as Perak’s third consecutive MSL home game failed to end positively after the Bos Gaurus played out a bore 0-0 draw against Kedah earlier today.
The Seladangs have struggled this season, having not scored in the MSL after their first two games. But after an emphatic 3-1 win over Sarawak in the FA Cup last weekend, the Seladangs were looking to muster a victory in their third MSL tie. Unfortunately for the home fans, they were treated to a drab stalemate.
The game was rather dry in the first half, with both sides adopting a conservative approach from the get go. Despite their explosive performance against Sarawak last week, the Seladangs were unusually quiet in the early stages of the affair, allowing Kedah to dictate the tempo.
On the 4th minute mark, Sandro tried his luck with a shot from outside the box, but it was way off target. Merely eight minutes later, Krasniqi rattled the post with a fantastic attempt from the edge of the box, after a classy one-two with Carlos Kahe.
Perak’s first real attempt came on the 16th minute. Nurridzuan collected the ball on the left, before cutting into the middle and unleashing a shot that flew past the goal. Firdaus then tried his luck three minutes later, but it went straight into the hands of Farhan Abu Bakar, who was in between Kedah’s sticks.
The home side could have broken the deadlock on the 38th minute after an excellent set-piece delivery from Nazirul Naim. Unfortunately for the Seladangs, Shahrul Saad’s header was mildly off target.
Tempo of the game picked up slightly after the break. Baddrol Bakthiar’s shot on the 47th minute swayed above the bar, before Sando Da Silva produced a stupendous shot, only for Hafizul to tip it away confidently.
Vokhid Shodiev in particular, was largely ineffective for Perak as he struggled make his presence felt upfront. On the 58th minute, we got a clear example of his inefficiency. He was handed a fantastic through ball from Nasir Basharuddin, but the Uzbek forward fluffed his first touch and struggled to stay on his feet before eventually dropping down inside the box.
Nurridzuan’s missed free-kick was visibly the last straw for Shamsul Saad as he rang the changes – bringing on Fazrul Hazli for Shodiev, before introducing Ridzuan Azly in place of Nasir Basharuddin.
The first change almost paid dividends on the 83rd minute as Fazrul found himself within Kedah’s penalty box just as Beto threaded a perfectly timed through pass. But he was under immense pressure from Kedah’s center-backs, which resulted in him producing a fluffed shot that went straight into Farhan’s hands.
Tired legs were evidently present on the pitch, as both sides started conceding possession rather easily, all over the park. Fakri’s shot was saved comfortably by Hafizul before Nazirul Naim’s effort in injury time went wide off target. But the end result was inevitable as the score line remained until final whistle
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