Super League: Turtles Capitalise On Home Ground Advantage To Sink Kelantan

KUALA NERUS, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Terengganu FC (TFC) belied their nickname - the Turtles - by scoring three first-half goals en route to trouncing neighbours Kelantan The Real Warriors (Kelantan TRW) FC 4-1 in their Super League match at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium here tonight.

TFC, playing on home ground, started aggressively and had the ball in the back of the net as early as the ninth minute, but the goal was chalked off after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled that Rainderson Morais, or Careca, was offside.

However, there was no denying the Turtles when they opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. Kelantan goalkeeper Muhammad Azfar Arif Mohd Sukri could only parry a free kick taken by Nurillo Tukhtasinov and defender Diego Landis was quickest to react, slotting the ball home.

Seven minutes later, TFC struck again, with Tukhtasinov getting his name on the scoresheet when he lobbed the ball over the out-of-position Muhammad Azfar Arif.

The Turtles then made it 3-0 in the 40th minute when hotshot Yan Mabella clinically slotted home a cross from Muhammad Azam Azmi Murad.

Undaunted, Kelantan came back after the break and managed to narrow the gap with a goal by substitute T. Saravanan in the 51st minute.

But the visitors’ hopes of staging a late fightback were doused when Mabella netted his brace - and his team's fourth goal - in the 72nd minute.

After seven matches each, Terengganu remain third in the 13-team Super League standings with 13 points from four wins and a draw, while Kelantan TRW are in sixth spot with eight points from two wins and two draws. 

-- BERNAMA