KUALA LUMPUR: Nine-man Selangor have powered their way to the FA Cup semi-finals after beating Kuching City 5-3 in a penalty shootout, following a 4-4 aggregate tie.
In the first leg, Selangor lost to Kuching 1-2 but bounced back in the second leg with a 3-2 win at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Saturday (July 6).
The match went into extra time before the Red Giants triumphed in the penalty showdown.
Kuching shocked the home crowd by taking the lead through winger Nur Shamie Izsuan in the 14th minute. However, the Red Giants fought back, scoring two goals through Ahmad Zikri Khalili in the 26th minute and Alvin Fortes in the 37th minute.
Selangor’s key playmaker Yohandry Orozco was sent off for elbowing a Kuching player during a tussle.
Despite being one man down, Fortes struck again in injury time. Kuching equalised through Alif Hassan, also in injury time.
Selangor received their second red card in the 103rd minute when Reziq Bani Hani was sent off for a questionable challenge. They went on to ace the penalty shootout, securing a semi-final berth. Last year, they lost 0-4 to JDT in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Terengganu secured their semi-final spot after beating Sabah 7-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. After winning the first leg at the Sultan Mizan Stadium last week, they went to Kota Kinabalu and beat the home side 3-0 at the Likas Stadium on Saturday (July 6).
The Turtles showed no signs of slowing down, especially in the first half, scoring two goals through Safawi Rasid (10th minute) and Akhyar Rashid (43rd minute). Terengganu added their third in the 86th minute through Croatian midfielder Marin Pilj, who curled a superb free-kick from 25 metres.
Sabah not only faced a demoralising aggregate defeat but also saw the departure of Brazilian striker Ramon Machado, who will return to Brazil to attend to personal matters.
