PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan fullback Ariff Ar-Rasyid has vowed that his side will bounce back in the Malaysia Cup quarter-final second-leg after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Selangor on Sunday.
A late penalty by Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes handed Selangor the advantage in the first-leg clash at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi.
Reflecting on the result, the 27-year-old Ariff said the team’s effort could not be questioned despite the disappointment of conceding from the spot in injury time.
“I cannot fault the commitment of the boys because we fought till the end but to be undone by a penalty, yes, it does sting,” said Ariff.
“But, we cannot hold on to that moment because we have another game to play. We have regrouped, work on what needs to be improved with the coaching staff and let’s hope we can give our all in the next leg.”
Selangor thought they had taken the lead earlier in the 76th minute when Moraes finished from close range but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review as the ball had struck Moraes’ hand before he scored.
The striker, however, made the breakthrough in stoppage time when Moraes converted a penalty to hand Selangor the slender advantage heading into the return leg.
Prior to the goal, Negri were proving resolute in defence with Ariff showing lots of composure and character to frustrate Selangor’s attackers led by captain Faisal Halim.
