Football

MSL Matchday One: Kelantan triumph in Paroi, Perak down Sime Darby

Kelantan secured a costly 2-0 win over ATM at the Paroi Stadium to get their Super League season off to a positive start. Noor Hazrul opened the scoring with a fine free-kick on his debut, before Erwin Carillo made it 2-0 after the break to complete the win. But the Red Warriors became victims of an injury crisis, with Norfarhan, Farisham, Brendan Gan and Noor Hazrul all picking up injuries during the game, forcing them to end the match with 10 men.

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Meanwhile, Perak managed to defeat Sime Darby by two goals to nil in Ipoh. Nurridzuan Abu Hassan, who re-joined the team after being released by Harimau Muda, scored the opening goal to put the Seladangs ahead. They were then awarded a penalty after Nurridzuan was brought down inside the box, but Chad Souza’s attempt was tipped away by the Sime Darby goalkeeper. That being said, Datuk M. Karathu’s men eventually got their second goal, courtesy of Namkung Woong’s flying header, allowing them to complete a 2-0 win and seize three points.

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In the East Coast, Paulo Rangel and his new Terengganu teammates completed a 2-0 win over his former side, Selangor. Ismail Faruqi broke the deadlock in the first half, manufacturing a terrific volley that left Norazlan helpless in between his sticks. They went on to double their lead after the break, though yet another fascinating goal. Gustavo Lopez was the man this time around, executing an inch perfect free kick to make it 2-0. Despite Selangor’s best efforts to manifest a comeback, the home side held on to clinch three points.

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Sarawak
fans were in buoyant mood at the Selayang Stadium after the Crocs netted a last-gasp equalizer to secure a 3-3 draw against Felda United. Billy Mehmet opened the scoring to put them ahead before Bojan equalized through a spot kick to make it 1-1. Makeche then gave Felda the lead, though Hairol Mokhtar made it 2-2 before Edward Wilson made it 3-2 for the home side. But just when you thought they were going to clinch it, Shahrol Saperi scored a stoppage time strike to make it 3-3 and rescue a point for Sarawak.

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In Singapore, LionsXII and PDRM contested a hugely entertaining affair that saw eight goals being scored. The home side raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half, with Gabriel Quak scoring the first goal before Faris Ramli netted their second goal just before the break. An own-goal from Fadhil Hashim made it 3-0 just three minutes after the restart and Hafiz Sujad made it 4-0 moments later. Next thing you know, it was 5-0, thanks to Sahil Suhaimi’s free kick. But PDRM then mounted a comeback. Traore scored a hat-rick with goals on the 70th minute, 79th minute and the 89th minute to make it 5-3. Muslim Ahmad then found the back of the net, but the referee was quick to rule it out for offside and the game effectively ended 5-3.

Photo Credits: Asiana.my & LionsXII

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