PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur City were staring at a Malaysia Cup exit before Victor Ruiz stepped up but the Spaniard insists he is no hero.
The City Boys booked their place in the semi-finals after edging Terengganu 3-2 on aggregate, coming from behind to win 2-1 in the quarter-final second leg at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras on Sunday.
Terengganu had taken the lead in the 20th minute, leaving the hosts in danger of crashing out, before Ruiz turned the tie on its head with a 78th-minute equaliser.
He then provided the decisive assist for substitute Paulo Josue to net the winner and send Kuala Lumpur into the final four.
The home crowd chanted Ruiz’s name after the match, but the 32-year-old was quick to deflect the praise.
“I’m definitely not a saviour or anything like that...everyone in the team is,” said Ruiz.
“There’s no such thing as one player who can do everything on the pitch. The goals came from everyone’s work.
“This time it was me, next time it will be someone else. What matters is that we stay united to get through.”
Kuala Lumpur will face either Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) or Melaka next in the semi-finals.
The City Boys last won the Malaysia Cup in 2021 after defeating JDT 2-0.
Ruiz, who joined the club last August, credited his opponents, Terengganu, for putting up a tough fight.
“It’s never easy to win a game against Terengganu.
“They’re a good team, and the first leg was already difficult, and we couldn’t get past them then.
“We wanted to get a good result, but they started the game very well with a good goal and made it tough for us.
“But we had to take risks, and I’m glad it paid off in the end. We play for moments like these.
“I’m lucky that it worked. But for me, the bigger goal is us going to the next round,” he said.
Kuala Lumpur will now shift their focus back to the Super League, where they host Brunei on Sunday.
