Fadzrul Hits Winner Kedah Win Fa Cup Final

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© Provided by Media Prima Kedah’s Fadzrul Danel Nizam (front) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Perak in Saturday’s FA Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. PIC BY MOHD YUSNI ARIFFIN.
BUKIT JALIL: It was a night to remember for youngster Fadzrul Danel Nizam in the FA Cup final at the National Stadium here on Saturday
Substitute Fadzrul’s close range effort earned Kedah a 1-0 win over 10-man Perak after extra time for their fifth FA Cup crown
With the victory, Kedah equalled Selangor’s record of most wins in the FA Cup
Japanese match officials, led by referee Okabe Takuto, did a fantastic job in officiating the match as there were no controversial decisions
It was, however, not the first half everyone was expecting as both Perak and Kedah found it tough to create chances. Referee Takuto was strict, flashing a total of four yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes
Kedah’s Baddrol Bakhtiar and Perak’s Nazirul Naim Che Hashim, Leandro dos Santos and Amirul Azhan Aznan were booked by the referee for various offences
Mehmet Durakovic’s side had their first look at goal in the seventh minute but J. Partiban’s attempt was blocked by Kedah goalkeeper Ifwat AkmalChek Kassim before Raianderson Morais headed over the post in the 36th minute
The second half was much more entertaining with both teams trying hard to dominate proceedings for goals
Nazirul Naim came closest to score the opening goal four minutes after the breather when Perak earned a free kick
However, his attempt bounced off the Kedah crossbar before it was cleared away
In the 63rd minute, Kedah forward Farhan Roslan latched onto a Jonatan Bauman pass and raced into the Perak penalty box but his grounder was easily blocked by goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy
It was end-to-end action in the final minutes but both teams could not find a breakthrough. In stoppage time, Perak were down to 10 players when Amirul was handed his second yellow card
With the numerical advantage, Kedah were aggressive in trying to find a goal. The Red Eagles were rewarded for their efforts when they scored in the 105th minute
In a quick counter attack, right-back Rizal Ghazali broke free on the right and squared the ball into the Perak penalty box for the 21-year-old Fadzrul to tap it in past goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim
However, Durakovic’s side quickly regrouped and pressed forward in the second half of extra time but Kedah defended stoutly for the well-deserved victory
Durakovic: “My team played well. We had many chances but didn’t convert. Football is a hard game
“It was difficult after the sending off. My players could not defend in extra time as the pitch was heavy,” said the Australian
Kedah coach Aidil Sharin Sahak said: “It was a beautiful game with both teams determined to win the title
“Congratulations to Fadzrul. He came on and scored from his first touch,” said Aidil. - nst

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