KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — Defending champion Kelantan took a major step towards reaching their second consecutive Malaysia Cup final after scoring a 2-1 over Armed Forces in the first leg semifinal at the Selayang Stadium tonight.
The one goal advantage will certainly come in handy for Kelantan as both teams will face each other in the second leg semifinal at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baharu on Oct 25.
In tonight’s action, both teams were on par in every department but despite playing away, it was Kelantan who drew first blood by taking the lead through a superb strike by skipper Mohd Badri Radzi from outside the box in the 16th minute.
The joy on the faces of about 10,000 Kelantan fans was however, wiped out when D. Christie Jayaseelan equalised four minutes (20th min) later with another superb strike after a solo run.
The first half ended in a 1-1 draw.
The start of the second half some saw Kelantan players displaying more urgency when compared with the Armed Forces boys but the defending champions had to wait until the 79th minute to see Mohd Norfarhan Muhammad net the winner and take a one goal advantage for the return leg.
In another semifinal to be played tomorrow, Pahang will host Sarawak at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan. — Bernama
