Last year’s runners-up Terengganu roared to a 3-1 win over PKNS FC in a Group A match while six-time Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim registered a similar scoreline against UiTM FC in Group B when the Malaysia Cup competition kicked off on Friday.
The Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu saw Uzbek midfielder Sanjar Shaakhmedov plunder a brace as the Turtles gave an early indication that they have set their sights on reaching the knockout stage which also has newly crowned FA Cup champions Kedah and Premier League outfit Negri Sembilan.
Sanjar opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute and added his second deep into four minutes of added time. In between Nasrullah Haniff got Terengganu’s second goal in the 38th minute when he finished off an assist from Syamim Yahya.
PKNS FC got their consolation goal through national player Firdaus Chew on the half-hour mark.
At the Larkin Stadium in Johor Bahru – the home of the Southern Tigers – Brazilian hitman, Diogo Luis Santo was also in celebration when he opened the floodgates for JDT with the opening goal in the 16th minute.
The Brazilian completed his brace on 85 minutes after international Safawi Rasid blasted in JDT’s second goal of the night from the penalty spot after Akhyar Rashid was felled inside the box.
Montenegro striker Zarko Korac reduced the deficit for UiTM FC in added time on a night when only about 5,000 fans turned up to watch the Southern Tigers play in their own den. RIZAL ABDULLAH
