Kedah is the FA Cup champions for the fifth time after a 1-0 win over Perak in the final played at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday (July 27) and joins the ranks with Selangor as the team with five FA Cup titles.
On a night when Perak’s Brazilian big names like Ronaldo and Careca flopped it took a 21-year rookie Fadzrul Daniel Nizam to net the winner in extra-time for Kedah with his first touch of the ball after replacing David William Rowley.
The 105th-minute strike gave Kedah’s new coach Aidil Sharin Sahak his first silverware. The Singaporean joined the Red Eagles this season.
The FA Cup win also means Kedah will carry Malaysia’s challenge in the AFC Champions League next season together with six-time Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim.
It was a night which also saw Japan’s Okabe Takuto referee the FA Cup final. The linesmen were also from Japan.
Fadzrul’s winner came when Perak was reduced to 10 players after Amirul Azhan Aznan was sacked for a second bookable offense. The Kedah hero drilled home an unstoppable shot past Perak custodian Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy off an assist by Rizal Ghazali who made inroads into the opponents’ half with an overlapping run.
“This win is for the people of Kedah,” said a delighted Aidil on his team’s success in the biggie.
Perak had dumped last year’s champions Pahang in the two-leg semi-finals 4-3 on aggregate. Pahang won the first-leg in Kuantan 3-1 and looked good for a place in the final. Perak, however, turned in a stunning performance in the return-leg in Ipoh with a 3-0 win to advance.
“Congratulations to Kedah for the FA Cup win. They grabbed the chance while we flopped,” said Perak’s Australian coach Mehmet Durakovic with disappointment. – RIZAL ABDULLAH
