No cooling it: A free-for-all breaks out between the Penang and Federal Territories players during their semi-final. — Bernama
PENANG showed character and courage in their incident-filled 1-0 win over Kuala Lumpur to reach the Malaysia Games (Sukma) football final.
And these qualities will be much needed again when they take on favourites Terengganu in the final today.
The Penang-KL semi-final on Wednesday was marred by a brawl towards the tailend of the game. Players from both sides started shoving each other after an KL player kicked a Penang player. And an angry KL official even chased the referee around the pitch!
Penang coach Akmal Rizal Rakhli, one of Malaysia’s former top strikers, was so relieved when he heard the final whistle that he fell to his knees and prayed.
“I’m so proud of my boys. Character and courage were needed to win a tough game like that, given the tense situation,’’ said the 41-year-old Akmal, who has played in France for clubs like RC Strasbourg and FCSR Haguenau.
“But the players stayed united and it’s that harmony that helped us to pull through. We need to be solid in the final against Terengganu as we can expect another stern test.
‘’We made history by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since Sukma started in 1986.
“Now, we believe we can take home the gold but we must stay true to our motto - which is to stay together as one Penang family.”
Akmal added that he found coaching tougher than being a player.
‘’Besides coming up with tactics, you also have to take care of the players’ condition by making sure they’re calm, composed and focused on the game.’’
Penang captain and striker Mohd Danial Irfan Mohd Nadzri’s spot-kick in the 40th minute turned out to be the winner against KL.
In the other semi-final, Terengganu edged Selangor 2-1.
Meanwhile, Terengganu coach Badrul Afzan Razali has urged his charges to end their 12-year wait for gold. They were last champions in 2010.
“We’ll continue playing our high pressing game, and we have many players to rely on for goals. But we must be wary of Penang. They are a highly organised side and have the fighting spirit to go all the way.’’
