PETALING JAYA: Selangor suffered a heartbreaking exit from the FA Cup after Mukhairi Ajmal's own goal in extra time handed Kuching City a 3-2 aggregate victory in a tense semi-final clash on Sunday (Nov 8).
Selangor headed into the second leg at the Taha Ariffin Stadium holding a slender 2-1 advantage from their first-leg victory.
However, that advantage was wiped out in the 57th minute when Safawi Rashid converted a penalty to put Kuching ahead after a video assistant referee (VAR) review found that Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar had brought down Jerome Mpacko Etame inside the box.
The score remained 1-0 until the end of regulation time, forcing the match into extra time.
Just as the tie appeared to be heading for a penalty shootout, disaster struck for Selangor when Mukhairi inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 118th minute to send Kuching through to the final.
To make matters worse for Selangor, Eduardo Sosa and fitness coach Joel Dones were both shown red cards following a scuffle that broke out after the goal.
Earlier, defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) booked their place in the final after thrashing Brunei 6-1 in the second leg of their semi-final at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri.
JDT, who held a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, fielded several players who had previously been suspended over the document falsification scandal, including Joao Figueiredo, who opened the scoring in the 27th minute.
Jordan Murray briefly gave Brunei hope when he equalised five minutes after the restart, but JDT quickly regained control with Manuel Hidalgo restoring their lead in the 59th minute.
Oscar Arribas (64th) and Jairo (66th) then struck in quick succession before Daniesh Amirruddin converted a penalty in the 86th minute.
Marcos Guilherme completed the rout with a goal in the final minute to cap a dominant display by the home side.
The FA Cup final will be held at the same venue on Jan 16.
