PETALING JAYA: A blossoming friendship between two South Americans is starting to deliver results for Selangor.
Venezuelan playmaker Eduardo Sosa and Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes have clicked since teaming up, and it was on full display in the FA Cup semi-final first leg on Friday.
Sosa scored twice, with Moraes providing the assist for the second, as Selangor beat Kuching City 2-1 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium.
Kuching took the lead in the eighth minute through winger Ramadhan Saifullah, who finished off a superb solo run.
Sosa levelled with an unstoppable shot past Kuching goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli after receiving a pass from French midfielder Hugo Boumous.
He then put Selangor ahead in the 57th minute, cutting in to place a right-footed shot past Haziq after a superb assist from Moraes.
The bond between Sosa and Moraes extends beyond the pitch. The two are rarely apart even during celebrations, and Sosa said he shares a tight friendship with the 25-year-old Brazilian.
“Chrigor is a good player and a dear friend of mine as well, and I’m he assisted me to score a goal,” said Sosa, 30, who has played for Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew and Colombian top-flight clubs Millonarios and Deportes Tolima.
Sosa admitted Kuching were not easy opponents and cautioned that the second leg at the State Stadium in Kuching would be just as tough.
“We know how they play. They are a good side. We have to go there and do the same thing, win and go to the final.”
Meanwhile, Kuching captain and Namibian midfielder Petrus Shitembi vowed that The Cats would bounce back and end their poor run.
They are winless in five games.
Kuching lost 2-1 to Cambodian club Phnom Penh Crown in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two on Sept 17.
They then drew 2-2 with Singaporean side Tampines Rovers in the Shopee Cup Asean Club Championships on Oct 7, and 1-1 with Hong Kong club Kitchee in ACL Two on Oct 15.
Their latest setback was a 3-2 Super League defeat to Brunei on Oct 18.
Shitembi said the team were grateful for the fans’ backing and urged them to stay with the side through the tough spell.
“We are very grateful to the fans. They always come and show their support. We do not take them for granted.
‘‘We are going through a difficult patch right now, but the results will come, 100 percent.”
