PETALING JAYA: Selangor defender Quentin Cheng (pic) delivered the kind of commanding performance Selangor had been sorely missing in recent weeks, reigniting their Super League push with a timely return to form.
Quentin provided an early assist and produced one of his sharpest displays of the season as the Red Giants snapped a two-match winless run with a 2-0 victory over Kelantan at the Petaling Jaya Stadium.
Selangor had entered the game on the back of a shaky spell, having lost 2-3 to Indonesia’s Persib Bandung in the AFC Champions League Two on Nov 6, and held 2-2 by Sabah in the FA Cup semi-final first leg on Nov 9.
Against Kelantan, Quentin, known by his mates as Q, helped restore some rhythm to the side when he set up Alvin Fortes’ opener in the 20th minute.
Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes added the second in the 54th minute, and Selangor saw out the result comfortably to collect three crucial points.
The win pushed the Red Giants up to fourth in the league with 16 points, behind Kuala Lumpur and Kuching City.
“Feels good to get a win again, especially in front of the fans,” said the 26-year-old Quentin
“It was a strong outing from all the players and this is the tonic we need for future games.
“It was also good to get the assist for the first goal,” added Quentin, who now has six assists in all competitions – the most in the team this season.
Coach Christophe Gamel said the team could have been more ruthless despite the win.
“Based on our game plan, we could have scored a lot more goals. We could have been a bit more accurate with our execution, but we got the win, and I’m glad to achieve that,” he said.
“To get a win after the disappointment of the last two games is good, but we have more work to do to be better.”
Gamel is now turning his attention to the FA Cup semi-final second leg against Sabah on Sunday at the Petaling Jaya Stadium.
“Sabah have more physicality. When we score, they come back – we saw that in the last leg,” he said.
“I want to ensure we have players available for this important game. We want to be in the final for the second season in a row.”
