IPOH, Oct 7 — Perak took a step closer to reaching the Malaysia Cup final after beating Sabah 5-0 in the semi-final first-leg clash at the Perak Football Stadium. 

Bos Gaurus displayed a stunning performance in front of 20,000 supporters who braved the rain to watch the game. 

Gilmar Jose Da Silva Filho nearly bagged the first goal of the game in the 15th minute when he was left unmarked by Sabahan defenders, but his slow reaction saw him fluffing a shot. 

However, it did not take long for Perak to open the account as Firdaus Saiyadi’s brilliant through pass was finished by Nor Hakim Hassan inside the penalty box a minute later. 

They almost doubled the lead via Leandro Dos Santos Oliveira when his shot from outside the penalty box hit the side netting. 

Brendan Seng Ling Gan broke Sabah’s offside trap and deceived the defence with his telling run but the angle deceived him as his attempted chip was cleared away by Sabah’s captain Rawilson Baitul in the 38th minute. 

Four minutes later, a beautiful interchange of passes between Wander Luiz Bitencourt Junior  and Nor Hakim resulted in a goal from the left-footed Brazilian. 

The Rhinos nearly get their away goal advantage in the 64th minute via Puerto Rican international Hector Omar Ramos Lebron when his deflated free kick was saved by Hafizul Hakim. 

Gilmar finally got his name in the score sheet in the 73rd minute after his brilliant turn and shot in the penalty box resulted in a goal. 

Two minutes later, Perak extended their lead when Nor Hakim’s cross was beautifully headed into the goal by Firdaus. 

Perak concluded their goal feat after Leandro buried from the spot in additional time to give Perak a healthy scoreline to bring to Kota Kinabalu. 

Sabah will host Perak in the return-leg on October 21 at the Likas Stadium. 

Last Thursday, Mentri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu announced that the players will receive a bonus of RM15,000 each if they managed to reach the finals and promised a bigger incentive if they win the Cup. 

The last time Perak won the Cup was in 2000, where the beat Negri Sembilan 2-0 in the finals.