By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Apr 19: Kuching City FC created history by advancing to the Malaysia Cup final for the first time after defeating Selangor FC 1–0 in the second-leg semi-final at the Sarawak Stadium on Saturday (Apr 18).
According to the Sarawakku Facebook page, armed with a 1–1 draw from the first leg, Kuching City FC, under the guidance of Aidil Sharin Sahak, displayed high discipline to withstand relentless attacks from the visiting side led by Faisal Halim and Mukhairi Ajmal.
Although Selangor appeared to dominate possession in the early stages, the deadlock was finally broken by the hosts through Kuching City player Petrus Shitembi in the 30th minute.
His powerful strike from outside the penalty box beat Selangor goalkeeper Kalamullah Al-Hafiz, sending thousands of supporters in the stadium into celebration.
Stunned by the goal, Selangor, coached by Kim Pan-gon, intensified the pressure in the second half, but their momentum was shattered when captain Safuwan Baharudin was shown a red card in the 52nd minute after a VAR review found that he had denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The situation worsened for the visitors when Mukhairi Ajmal was also sent off 11 minutes later following a hard tackle, forcing Selangor to continue the match with nine players.
Kuching City fully capitalised on the advantage, calmly controlling the game until the final whistle to secure a 2–1 aggregate victory and a place in the final.
Meanwhile, according to Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas), Aidil stressed that his team wants to prove something ahead of the 2026 Malaysia Cup final.
Despite facing a tough test against Super League leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) FC at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Aidil said that as a coach, he is adamant about winning the match and becoming champions.
“This is where competition plays a big role because we will be facing a big team, JDT.
“I hope everyone enjoyed the football and the atmosphere today, and that we can bring that same atmosphere to Bukit Jalil so we can see two great teams competing in the final,” he said during a press conference following the match.
Among those present to witness the match were the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, and president of Kuching City FC Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman. — DayakDaily
