Pan Gon Confident Selangor Hold Edge Ahead Of Malaysia Cup Semi-final

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Selangor FC head coach Kim Pan Gon believes his team holds the advantage heading into the second leg of their 2025–2026 Malaysia Cup semi-final against Kuching City FC, following a dominant display in Petaling Jaya last night.

The Red Giants were held to a 1-1 draw by Kuching City at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium. Still, Pan Gon said their strong performance offered plenty of encouragement ahead of the return leg on April 18.

Despite falling short of a home win, the South Korean tactician stressed that Selangor will stick to their attacking style in Kuching.

“We have a higher chance than Kuching because I think our performance was better. We dominated and controlled the game. If they want to attack us in their home game, we are happy.

“It will be a good game because we will not just defend, we will also go on the attack. We want to make it a very exciting game for the fans in the second leg,” he said at the post-match press conference last night.

Selangor looked in control for much of the contest last night, but were left stunned when Ronald Ngah Wanja converted a 42nd-minute penalty to put Kuching City ahead against the run of play.

The hosts had earlier thought they had taken the lead, only for Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili’s 21st-minute strike to be ruled out following a VAR review.

Just when it seemed Selangor would be punished for wasting their chances, Moraes struck deep into stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw, a late reprieve that preserved Pan Gon’s unbeaten run since taking charge in early January.

“We controlled the game, but we couldn’t score or create clear chances. That was the problem. There was a bit of hard luck as well. Generally, it was a very tough, hard game...But I don’t want to be too negative. We want to stay positive and look ahead,” said Pan Gon.

Pan Gon remains unbeaten in 14 matches in charge of Selangor, with 10 wins and four draws across all competitions.

They will next face Sabah FC away in the Super League on April 11.

-- BERNAMA