Aiman Nazirmuddin
Football Tribe Malaysia
Perak TBG maintained his reputation as the defending Malaysia Cup champion and FA Cup finalist by beating Sabah 3-0 in Group C at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh.
Fielding their best squad, Mehmet Durakovic’s side faced a major challenge to score as the visitors, who were crowned as Premier League champions this season.
The opening goal for The Bos Gaurus was only scored in the 45th minute, thanks to a long shot from Brendan Gan.
The momentum of the home side continued in the second half when Raianderson Da Costa, better known as Careca, managed to double his side’s lead in the 51st minute with a strong shot in the penalty box.
Jelius Tabias’s men were left on the defensive by their hosts attacking intent, occasionally making quick counterattacks which failed to break through the Perak defense line.
The game was ultimately sealed in the dying when Leandro Dos Santos scored the third goal following a corner kick.
Perak will travell to the Darul Makmur Stadium to play against Pahang this Thursday, while Sabah will face Penang at City Stadium.
Elsewhere, a revival in the second half allowed Melaka United to beat PDRM 3-1 the Group D action at Hang Jebat Stadium.
PDRM opened the scoring as early as the eighth minute through Lee Chang Hoon’s shot after receiving Shahurain Abu Samah’s cross.
The goal surprised the hosts, but they manage to come back three minutes after through Nazrin Nawi’s free-kick.
However, misfortune would soon hit Melaka’s side when their main striker, Davy Angan, was forced to sidelined after suffering an injury.
The second half saw more competition for both teams with frequent attacks but two attempts by Luka Milunovic in the 47th and 49th minutes failed to break the visitors’ goal.
Patrick Ronaldinho’s powerful header in the 48th minute nearly added the PDRM’ second goal but was saved by goalkeeper Ahmad Solehin Mamat.
However, it was Melaka who were able to make their chances count, as they scored their second goal in the 54th minute through Patrick Reichelt, before Nazrin Nawi sealed the game in the 61st minute.