Last weekend was a clear reminder that Johor DT won’t be alone in their quest for glory this year, with Felda United sending strong indications of their aspirations for 2016, by putting JDT’s resilience to the test at Larkin.
They took the lead and looked good value for a win, before the Southern Tigers mounted an impressive comeback to win the tie 2-1, propelling them above Felda on the league table. But Selangor seized top spot after a comprehensive 4-2 win over Sarawak, with Patrick Ronaldinho pulling off a fantastic performance again.
Perak and Penang on the other hand battled out an entertaining 1-1 draw, while Kedah got back to winning ways after sealing a narrow 2-1 win over East Coast side, Kelantan. Terengganu handed Pahang another blow by dispatching them 2-1, while PDRM and T-Team contested a 1-1 draw in Kuala Terengganu. So without wasting time, here’s our pick for the #FabFour of the Week for Matchday Four!
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK: Norazlan Razali – Selangor FA
It may sound odd, especially since Selangor conceded two goals on the day. But the first one was a complete defensive blunder from Shahrom Kalam and Razman Roslan, while the second goal was a spot-kick; can’t be too harsh on him for that, can we? Because truth be told, the score line could have been a lot more frustrating for Selangor fans, had it not been for Norazlan. He was fantastic with his reflexes throughout the night, denying Ndumba Makeche, Gilmar and even Syahrul Azwari on plenty of occasions. Selangor were defensively poor on the night, so it’s really a surprise that they only conceded two, judging by the sheer amount of clear-cut opportunities that were handed to Sarawak on the day.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Shahrul Saad – Perak FA
Right now, it almost seems like Perak’s defenders are better equipped at bagging goals for them. The Seladangs finally scored their first MSL goal of the campaign on Saturday night, and it was none other than Shahrul Saad. Securing his signature was already a major coup for the Seladangs, and his partnership with Thiago has been nothing short of stupendous. They’ve only conceded two goals in four MSL games thus far, and against Penang, Shahrul was instrumental in nullifying the threat posed by Osas Saha, Matias Cordoba and even S. Kumaahran. If that wasn’t enough, his goal proved to be enough for the Seladangs to claim one point from their first away fixture of the season. It’s a difficult place to go, really – ask Pahang FA, they’ll tell you all about it.
MIDFIELDER OF THE WEEK: S. Chanturu – Johor DT
Datuk Ong Kim Swee, if you’re reading this, you’ve got to include Chanturu for the upcoming national team games. It appears that Mario Gomez has identified Chanturu to be a major source of pace and threat – which is evident in the sheer number of games he’s been involved in so far in 2016. He was given a substitute role last weekend, but the ex-Sarawak flanker came off the bench to turn on the style and explosively claim the winning goal for JDT. Immediately after he came on, Chanturu was already causing problems with his pace and trickery on the flanks. He was making fantastic runs off the ball, combining brilliantly with S. Kunanlan to completely outrun the Felda defenders. JDT were on the verge of dropping points against a title rival. But Chanturu’s introduction completely saved the day.
FORWARD OF THE WEEK: Patrick Ronaldinho – Selangor
While teams flew in trialists from all over the world, Selangor FA merely needed to take a short drive and secure the signature of Patrick Ronaldinho, who plied his trade with PKNS last year. Because right now, he’s starting to look like the signing of the season. The Liberian forward has assimilated into the Selangor squad instantly, and has already scored five goals in four games thus far. Against Sarawak, he was at his absolute best, using his upper-body strength to dominate the Crocs’ defenders. So much so that when Ronny Harun was stretchered off with an injury, you could see the frustration in Datuk K. Rajagopal’s eyes, because he knew what was coming. Predictably, the Liberian scored two goals, besides providing the assist for Gopinathan’s goal, to help Selangor claim a 4-2 win.
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