PETALING JAYA, Dec 8 — Tan Cheng Hoe will not miss the Malaysia Cup final for the world.
The Kedah chief has witnessed his team storm into final after victories over PKNS and Felda from Guangzhou, China where he is undergoing his Fifa Pro Licence course, but will be back for the biggest game of the season.
“I have got the green light to come back and will return on Friday evening. This is a proud moment for me as a coach and I want to guide my team in person,” said Tan, whose assistant Ramon Marcote took charge of the quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
Premier League champions Kedah upset the odds by storming into their first Malaysia Cup final in seven years after defeating Felda 4-3 on aggregate and face Selangor, the team they last defeated to lift the trophy in 2008.
Tan, who prior to this said he would be happy if the team “could make the quarterfinals”, attributed his men’s resilience and fighting spirit as the reasons for their success.
“The Premier League and Super League is different, but the players have been playing together for a long time and team spirit is high. They have peaked at the right time and possess a winning mentality which has taken us this far,” said the coach, who is aware Selangor have the upper hand with the final played on their home turf at Shah Alam Stadium.
“When you’re home, you’re familiar with the surroundings. We know their (Selangor) strengths and what they are capable of. We will have a strategy for the final but we definitely will head into the game as underdogs,” said Tan.
Kedah, treble champions in the 2007 and 2008 season will have more than Selangor’s home turf to deal with.
They will also have to penetrate the brick wall that is custodian Norazlan Razali, who was in impeccable form against Pahang in the second leg semifinal on Sunday, inspiring the team to a 2-0 victory over The Elephants.
“We felt the pressure against them (Pahang), but we absorbed it well and took our chances. I am focused for the final and hope to maintain the same performance,” said Norazlan, who pulled off five super saves to earn the man-of-the-match award for the third consecutive time.
