PETALING JAYA: Perak had to hand it to their goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli after holding Kuching City to a 1-1 draw in their Super League match at the State Stadium in Kuching on Friday.
The 26-year-old national custodian, who is on loan from Johor Darul Ta’zim, kept the dangerous Cats at bay with some stupendous saves which drew the praises of the home side’s coach Aidil Sharin.
“If it wasn’t for Haziq, we would’ve won the game by more than three goals. He was the reason why the game ended 1-1 and we have to salute his performance,” said the Singaporean.
Perak drew first blood through winger Firdaus Saiyadi in the 15th minute before Kuching equalised via winger Ramadhan Saifullah in the 71st.
Perak coach Yusri Che Lah said he was glad to settle for a point and relieved not to see a repeat of what happened in Ipoh where they lost 1-2 in the two teams’ first league meeting.
“This is a precious point. We were constantly under pressure. From Haziq to Clayton (Silva), all my boys were at their best and showed great discipline to get the draw,” he said.
“Haziq was a wall. At one point, we were reminded of what happened in Ipoh as Kuching threatened to score but we persevered till the end to hold them.’’
Perak are fifth in the league with 23 points from 19 matches, while Kuching are sixth with 22 points from 16 games.
