New Turtle on the rise


PETALING JAYA: Gervane Kastaneer is beginning to catch fire in Terengganu colours.

The 29-year-old Curacao international scored his second goal for the Turtles since joining in January when he helped them beat neighbours Kelantan 2-0 in their Super League clash at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Friday.

He had earlier opened his account during their 1-1 draw against Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals last month.

He is glad to get the momentum going for himself.

“It feels good,” said Kastaneer.

“Two goals so far and two assists, that’s just me trying to be important. Personally, it’s good for me and I hope the team are happy as well.

“I’ll just continue to work hard.”

Kastaneer’s goal came in the 58th minute thanks to an assist by Raianderson Da Costa, before Shervoni Mabatshoev converted a penalty in injury time to make it 2-0.

Kastaneer added that he would be returning to the Curacao national team ahead of their friendly fixtures this month against China on March 27 and Australia on March 31.

And the timing was perfect as Terengganu would have a long break before they resume action next month.

“I’ll be heading to Australia soon to play two matches with Curacao.

‘‘I’m also looking forward to spending some time with my wife and child,” he said.

Kastaneer’s presence made up for the absence of key players Akhyar Rashid and Shahrul Nizam.

The 26-year-old Akhyar suffered a broken collarbone after their clash against Kuala Lumpur in the Super League on Feb 27, while Shahrul suffered a knee injury during the same match.

Head coach Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan said the team did well to cope without the two players despite a sluggish start.

“I’m happy with the results and getting three points.

‘‘But at the start we were quite slow to pick up pace,” said Hazman.

“The absence of some players was not an issue. Players who took over did their best.”

Terengganu are currently fifth in the Super League with 31 points, while Kelantan are 11th with 15 points.

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