By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 8: Kuching City FC (KCFC) have booked their place in the Malaysia FA Cup final after eliminating Selangor FC in a dramatic second-leg semi-final clash at Stadium Taha Ariffin, Petra Jaya, here on Sunday (Nov 8).
According to TVS, the victory saw KCFC overturning Selangor’s 2-1 aggregate advantage secured through their first-leg victory.
Playing in front of more than 15,000 home supporters, Aidil Sharin Sahak’s men came out aggressively from the opening whistle, dominating much of the first half and creating several dangerous chances against Selangor goalkeeper Sikh Izhan Nazrel.
However, the Selangor custodian’s impressive performance kept the visitors in the game, with both sides heading into the half-time break goalless.
The hosts’ persistent efforts finally paid off in the second half when Kuching City were awarded a penalty in the 55th minute after match referee Mohd Izwan Abdullah reviewed the incident through the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Safawi Rasid made no mistake from the spot, converting the penalty in the 57th minute to give Kuching City a 1-0 lead and level the aggregate score at 2-2.
The score remained unchanged at the end of regulation time, forcing the match into extra time to determine which team would advance to the final.
Despite both sides failing to break the deadlock during the first 15 minutes of extra time, the drama intensified towards the closing stages of the second period.
Kuching City eventually secured the winning goal through a late own goal by Selangor’s Mukhairi Ajmal, sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory and confirming their place in the Malaysia FA Cup final for the first time. — DayakDaily
