It was undoubtedly a disappointing night for Perak fans, but they can be proud of the performance showed by goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim, who was outstanding today.
Mario Gomez fielded a strong starting eleven – featuring the likes of Juan Martin Lucero, Jorge Diaz and even Safiq Rahim. That was more than enough to remind Hafizul that he was in for a tough day at the office.
But the Perak custodian did not disappoint throughout the 90 minutes. The Southern Tigers sealed an early lead, thanks to Jorge Diaz’s close-range header, but Hafizul was absolutely brilliant in denying every other JDT attempt.
He even produced a double save at one point, nullifying the attempts of Lucero and Diaz – both of whom were eager to double the score line in Ipoh.
More importantly, Hafizul’s distribution was equally astute, everytime he collected the ball. Some of Perak’s best counter-attack moves were initiated by the man in between their sticks. If anything, Hafizul did not only keep them in the game, but he also actively looked to spearhead their offensive challenge, whenever possible.
While there are no doubts over Hafizul’s mettle, several other notable mentions include Jorge Diaz, whose determination and hard-work kept Thiago and Co busy at the heart of Perak’s defence. On the other side of the pitch, Marcos Antonio was rock solid and barely allowed any of the Perak attackers space, throughout the 90 minutes.
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