PETALING JAYA: Pahang coach Fandi Ahmad loves the Malaysia Cup, after all he has won it six times in his playing career.
And that’s why when Pahang qualified for the Malaysia Cup final after 11 years, Fandi let all emotions flow.
It was a special moment for him because he had won the Cup with Pahang in 1992 and now he has brought them to the final as a coach.
The Elephants booked the ticket by beating Sabah 2-1 in the second leg semi-finals, to seal the tie 3-2 on aggregate at the Temerloh Stadium on Sunday. In the first leg, both sides had drawn 1-1 in Kota Kinabalu on Jan 17.
After the final whistle, the Singaporean was emotional and immediately fell to the ground as the team ended a long wait to be in the prestigious Cup final.
The former Kuala Lumpur and Holland’s Groningen club player was certainly in the mood for jokes after the game.
“To see a full crowd at Temerloh and going to the final after 11 years, I hope I will get some durian from the Pahang folks,” chuckled Fandi, who knew Temerloh is famous for the fruit and also a dish known as Patin Masak Tempoyak (catfish in fermented durian gravy).
“The Malaysia Cup has made me all nostalgic. When I saw the crowd, it reminded me of my days playing for them in 1992. I told the lads, by hook or crook, you have to get to the final.
“The players gave their all. The boys followed the strategy and pressed from the start, which saw us winning the battle. We finally won the war. I am happy with the will, desire and discipline shown by the players.”
Captain Kpah Sherman was the hero for the Elephants, scoring the winner in the 106th minute.
Pahang’s other goal in the second leg was an own goal from Tae-su in the 71st minute, while Sabah’s equaliser was scored by S. Kumaahran in the 77th minute.
Fandi revealed that he had to play a tactical game to beat the Rhinos.
“We changed our tactics often from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 because we wanted to ensure we were able to last the game. We had to rejig things often to ensure our boys were in shape to win the game,” he said.
“Together we can achieve more. If you are not willing to meet challenges, you will achieve nothing. My boys took the challenge. This is extraordinary, this feeling we have right now is immense. We will now prepare ourselves for the final. I want to tell everyone that we will give our best performance.”
Pahang will face Johor Darul Ta’zim in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in April.
Pahang last played in the 2014 final, where they beat JDT 5-3 in a penalty shootout after both sides drew 2-2 after regulation time.