Malaysian side Kuala Lumpur City FC made history on Wednesday night after qualifying for the 2022 AFC Cup inter-zone semifinal with a comprehensive 5-2 win over Indonesia’s PSM Makassar at the KLFA Stadium. A confident performance from the City Boys meant that they’ve crowned themselves as kings of the ASEAN zone, staving off a PSM fightback with two late goals to seal themselves a date with ATK Mohun Bagan in September.
Despite making history as the first Indonesian side to make it all the way into the ASEAN zonal final, PSM had the odds stacked well against them prior to Wednesday’s showdown. The Juku Eja were depleted in defense thanks to the absences of both Yuran Fernandes and Abdul Manan, the two defenders having received red cards in PSM’s zonal semifinal win against Kedah Darul Aman. There’s also the added factor that PSM had to play Kuala Lumpur at their KLFA Stadium, and no Indonesian team had ever won at that stadium.
Kuala Lumpur had hosted four Indonesian sides throughout their continental history and none of them had managed to escape the KLFA Stadium with a win to their names. The now-defunct Kramat Yudha Tiga Berlian were beaten 2-0 in the 1987 Asian Club Championship, while Pelita Jaya (now Madura United) lost 2-1 to the City Boys in the 1989/90 Asian Club Championship. Gelora Dewata (now Deltras Sidoarjo) were Kuala Lumpur’s next Indonesian opponents and they were edged out 2-1 in the 1994/95 Asian Cup Winners’ Cup.
In fact, PSM’s 0-0 draw with Kuala Lumpur earlier in this year’s group stages was the only time so far that an Indonesian team had avoided defeat at the hands of the City Boys at the KLFA Stadium.
The 2021 Malaysia Cup winners went gung-ho straight from kick-off and dominated proceedings, denying PSM any chance of getting a grip on the contest. With their passionate supporters backing them on, Kuala Lumpur broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute.
A Kamal Azizi cross had successfully lured PSM goalkeeper Reza Arya Pratama out of his lair, with the young custodian being beaten in the ensuing aerial battle by Kuala Lumpur captain Paulo Josue. Brazilian attacker Josue then headed the ball towards Zhafri Yahya, who was in front of the PSM goal. Instead of shooting first-time, Zhafri cuts the ball back and gave it to an incoming Romel Morales. By then, Reza had regained his composure and returned to his post, but it was all too late, as Romel, who celebrated his birthday the day before the zonal final, rifled home a powerful volley beyond Reza’s reaches.
Stung by Kuala Lumpur’s opener, PSM pushed men forward as they pursue an equalizer before half-time. That would be the Juku Eja‘s undoing, though, as they’ve left plenty of spaces in their defense for Kuala Lumpur to exploit. Instead of bagging an equalizer, PSM found themselves two goals down going into the break after a Josue-led counterattack led to Morales feeding Jordan Mintah the ball, the Ghanaian finishing things off with a powerful shot that went past Reza.
PSM then found themselves climbing an even bigger and steeper mountain seven minutes into the second half, after Zhafri managed to force Rizky Eka Pratama into fouling him within the penalty box. Josue, who was tasked in dispatching the spot kick, did his job excellently to give Kuala Lumpur the 3-0 lead.
But just as everyone had thought that PSM were done and out, Bernardo Tavares’ men roared to life. A spectacular goal from outside the area by Yakob Sayuri in the 58th minute reduced the gap for PSM, before substitute Rasyid Bakri swung in a corner that was headed into Azri Ghani’s goal by Akbar Tanjung in the 63rd minute, ensuring that the Juku Eja would still have a lifeline in this match.
However, Kuala Lumpur once again pinned PSM as they seek to defend their lead, and Josue ensured that there would be no way back for PSM in the 84th minute. After Reza had fumbled Jordan’s long-ranged effort, Josue positioned himself at the right place in the right time to collect the loose ball, made his way around the PSM goalkeeper, and slot home to make it 4-2 for the City Boys.
And the ticket to the interzone semifinal was ensured in the fourth minute of injury time, after Kuala Lumpur were awarded another penalty following yet another foul within the area by Rizky, this time on Jordan. Substitute Hadin Azman stepped up to the plate and the former FELDA United and Kedah man did not disappoint, beating Reza with his penalty and sealing the 5-2 win for Kuala Lumpur.
The interzone semifinal will pit Kuala Lumpur against India’s ATK Mohun Bagan away at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on September 7th, but with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) being suspended by FIFA at the time being, Kuala Lumpur could find themselves bypassing the interzone semifinal straight into the interzone final, where they will meet either Uzbekistan’s Sogdiana Jizzakh – another team who’s having a dream debut campaign in this year’s AFC Cup – or Hong Kong’s Eastern Long Lions.