SHAH ALAM, May 22 (Bernama) -- Selangor put up a a
scintilating display
of attacking football to beat Singapore 3-1 in the Sultan of Selangor Cup
at the Shah Alam Stadium, here Sunday night.
A brace from Selangor's Indonesian import Bambang Pamungkas and another
goal by Md Noor Md Derus saw Selangor maintaining their 100 per cent
unbeaten record in the competition since 2001.
A fireworks display before the start of the match was a preview of what
was in store for the passionate crowd that had rolled in as early as 5pm.
Singapore, who parted from Malaysian football in 1995, had everything
to play for in the match especially after having won the Tiger Cup in
December.
Singapore have not won the cup since the first edition in 2001. The
head-to-head record stands in favour of Selangor with two wins and a shared
title last year when MPPJ represented Selangor in the competition.
The event was not held in 2002.
The match started at a frantic pace with Selangor taking the early
initiative to test goalkeeper Lionel Lewis who was voted the Most Valuable
Player in the Tiger Cup competition last year.
The Selangor strikeforce spearheaded by the Premier
League's two
leading scorers, Bambang from Selangor and Marlon Alex James of MK Land,
settled down quickly and were involved in some promising moves right from
the start.
The early pressure paid off when Bambang opened accounts for Selangor
with a lovely header in the 12th minute.
Singapore, featuring a selection of players from their S-League
including a number of foreign players from China, Japan and Australia,
recovered from the early setback to equalise five minutes later through
Baihakki Khaizan.
However, Bambang showed why he is the leading marksman in the league
with a clinical strike from a Shukor Adan cross in the 32nd minute to
restore the lead.
Roared on by a capacity 70,000-odd passionate crowd, Selangor continued
to stamp their superiority in the first half with Md Noor Md Derus adding
the third from a superbly taken freekick from outside the box.
Selangor continued to pile on the pressure in the second half but
though second half substitute Brian Fuentes and Miroslav Toth came close to
scoring, the scoreline remained the same after 90 minutes.
With the win Selangor collected RM50,000 while Singapore had to be
satisfied with RM25,000.
Meanwhile in an earlier game, Singapore Veterans
packed enough punch to
knock out Selangor Veterans 2-1 in a highly entertaining match that
re-ignited the historic rivalry between the two teams.
The match, providing an appetiser for the main match of the day,
featuring a Singapore S-League Selection and a Selangor Selection for the
Sultan of Selangor Cup, provided all the thrills and spills fans who came
to see their beloved legendary stars like Datuk Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh
and K. Rajagopal in action once again.
The win was the first for Singapore in the tournament that is into its
fourth edition since its inauguration in 2001.
Selangor won the first two editions while the third saw both teams
declared joint- champions.
The match was played 30 minutes each half.
Despite starting off promisingly, Selangor conceded the first goal
after Singapore's former prolific striker Fandi Ahmad converted a spot kick
awarded in the 7th minute.
Fandi once again showed his prowess in front of the goal when he buried
a cross in the 42nd minute to give Singapore a 2-0 lead before P. Maniam
reduced the deficit in the 45th minute.
TEAMS:
Selangor Selection: Mohd Shahrizan Ismail (Jamsari Sabian), Nazrulerwan
Makmor, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, D. Surendran, K. Sanbagamaran (Nazzab
Hidzan), Shukor Adan, Elie Aiboy, Bambang Pamungkas, Farah Badui (Brian
Fuentes), Md Noor Md Derus (Aiman Firdaus), Marlon Alex James (Miroslav
Toth)
Singapore Selection: Lionel Lewis, Daniel Benneth, Fathi Yunos,
Baihakki Khaizan, Precious Emuejeraye, Akihiro Nakamura, Ahmad Latiff
Khamarudin (Khairil Amri), Shi Jia Yi (Mark Williams), Jonathan Angelucci,
Masrezwan Masturi, Hashrin Jailani.
Referee: Vo Minh Tri (Vietnam).
-- BERNAMA
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