# N. Sembilan hold Kedah to a 3-3 draw at Alor Setar
Pahang seems to be going great guns even with injuries to their key players as the Elephants scored an emphatic 3-1 win over Terengganu at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Tuesday.
Out of the Pahang lineup were “pillars” like skipper Matthew Davies and Francis Forkey Doe but the Elephants did not feel their absence – as they turned the East Coast derby into their own show.
A brace by Patrick Cruz – in the 37th and 52nd minutes – took the wind out of the Turtles. Cruz’s first came with an assist from Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria while the second goal was set up by Vathanaka Chan.
Terengganu gave themselves fighting chance of a comeback with a penalty goal in the 72nd minute with Lee Tuck netting from the spot after Kamal Azizi Zabri was felled inside the box.
However, it was not good enough for the Turtles who were feeling the absence of Kipre Tchetche on a night when Akannai Sunday Wasiu, J. Partiban fumbled their chances.
Pahang’s super-sub Faisal Halim hammered the final nail into the Terengganu coffin when he drilled home a grounder four minutes into added time.
Pahang also had a hero in goalkeeper Helmi Eliza Elias who stood between the posts with a confident display, denying the homesters time and again.
“This is a disappointing result for us at home. Instead of collecting points we are instead dropping crucial points at home. I will not point fingers at anyone but it was a below par performance by the team.
“We should not have conceded the the first two goals…they were soft goals through individual mistakes,” said Terengganu head coach Irfan Bakti.
His Pahang counterpart Dollah Salleh was all smiles with the three points as the Elephants increased their points tally to 17 after eight matches and retain their second spot – just a point behind leaders Johor Darul Takzim whose home match against Selangor was postponed to Wednesday due to poor ground conditions.
“Those picked for the team have shown commitment and discipline to win matches. I am pleased with the way the players have responded on the field despite missing the key players,” said Dollah.
Meanwhile, bottom placed Negri Sembilan snatched an important away point with a fighting display against Kedah for a 3-3 draw at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar after the homesters led 3-1 at one stage.
It was disappointing for Kedah to share points as N. Sembilan netted an 86th minute penalty through Flavio Beck Junior after Fauzi Latif was brought down inside the box.
Kedah were 1-0 up as early as the second minute with Kosovo playmaker Liridon Krasniqi opening accounts. The visitors, however, made it all square through N. Thanabalan just two minutes later.
Then in a spate of five minutes Kedah roared to a 3-1 lead. First Syazwan Zainon scored in the 26th minute off a pass by Krasniqi before Sandro D Silva converted a penalty on 31 minutes.
N. Sembilan narrowed the gap two minutes into the second half with Leandro Vellez hitting target in the 47th minut before Flavio’s penalty in added time gave the visitors the share of spoils. –Â BY RIZAL ABDULLAHÂ
RESULTS
SUPER LEAGUE (May 1)
Terengganu 1 Pahang 3
Kedah 3 N. Sembilan 3
