Malaysian FA Cup Semifinal | Terengganu vs LionsXII [3-2] FULL Match Highlights!

Full Time: 

Terengganu FA 3-2 LionsXII

(4-4 on aggregate - LionsXII win on away goals rule)

Khairul Amri 18', 28'

Paulo Rangel 22' (p) 45', Norshahrul Idlan 59'

LionsXII advance into the final of the Malaysia FA Cup!

LionsXII will meet Kelantan at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Saturday, 23rd May 2015.


Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlKImdGEo-g

Fandi: We'll be solid at the back in Kuala Terengganu

DANGERMEN: LionsXII defender Madhu Mohana (right) and his teammates need to be wary of the...PHOTO: BH

BY HAIQAL SARI(TNP)

LionsXII will be under the gun in Kuala Terengganu and Fandi wants a tight back four

When the final whistle blew on Saturday, a number of the LionsXII players sank to their knees on the Jalan Besar Stadium turf, seemingly crestfallen.

They had just beaten Terengganu 2-1 in the first leg of the Malaysian FA Cup semi-final but, after squandering a number of chances, Fandi Ahmad's men almost certainly knew they faced a formidable task in the second leg this Saturday.

With their opponents in possession of a precious away goal and deadly Brazilian striker Paulo Rangel returning to their ranks after suspension, the Turtles are probably favourites to advance to the final on May 23, especially playing in the hothouse atmosphere in Kuala Terengganu.

Speaking to The New Paper after yesterday's training session at the Geylang training field, coach Fandi said: "It's very hard to say what exactly we'll be looking to do on Saturday, but all I can say is that we have to be solid at the back.

"The past few games have been very good for us defensively. We're making fewer mistakes than we used to do, so that's a positive."

Aside from Rangel, Canadian international Issey Nakajima-Farran could make a comeback from injury for Terengganu.

With Malaysian international striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha a constant thorn in the LionsXII's side in the first leg, the Singapore defence, possibly anchored by centre backs Madhu Mohana and Zulfahmi Arifin, would be in for a torrid time in the return clash.

But Madhu is not worried, recalling how Terengganu with Rangel in the side, were held to a 1-1 draw in a Malaysian Super League clash (MSL) in March.

"Mat Yo (Norshahrul) was a real menace on Saturday. He not only got behind our defence on a number of occasions, but he also got under our skin," admitted Madhu.

"But we held the line well and we communicated with each other in every defensive situation."

"It's going to be a hostile environment and our one-goal advantage doesn't really help much. But even if Rangel starts, we kept him out once, so we can definitely do it again," he insisted.

In the MSL encounter, however, regular centre back Afiq Yunos lined up alongside Madhu.

Afiq has been out of action since hurting his knee while on international duty on March 26 and midfielder-turned-defender Zulfahmi has been deputising in the heart of defence.

STRONG DISPLAYS

Zulfahmi has been turning in strong displays after a shaky start.

With Safuwan Baharudin playing his first match for the LionsXII since his stint with Melbourne City in the 
A-League, Fandi has options.

Safuwan played in central midfield and formed an impressive partnership alongside the ever-improving Izzdin Shafiq, and Fandi hinted that Zul could keep his place for Saturday's match.

"Zul had a tough time when he first replaced Afiq in defence. But he's gone from strength to strength and has become a vital player as we can build from the back through him.

"He is not a natural defender, of course, but I think what this team need is communication.

"Both Madhu and Zul have been playing together for a while now, so splitting that partnership may not be a very good thing."

Source: http://www.tnp.sg/sports/singapore-football/fandi-well-be-solid-back-kuala-terengganu#sthash.ZFCRisCr.dpuf

Nizam and Faris on target as LionsXII beat Terengganu in FA Cup semi

By Teng Kiat | Yahoo Newsroom


Yahoo Newsroom - Terengganu goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee was in good form against the LionsXII (Photo: FAS)

The LionsXII took a step closer to the final of the Malaysia FA Cup on Saturday night as they edged Terengganu FA 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final.

Khairul Nizam and Faris Ramli struck within five minutes of each other in the first half, although Fandi Ahmad’s men really should have registered a larger margin of victory at Jalan Besar Stadium.

A series of missed opportunities in the second half left the Turtles with hope of overturning the deficit at home in a week’s time, thanks to Gustavo Lopez’s crucial away goal before half-time.

Fandi said he “couldn’t believe” what he saw as the LionsXII carved apart their opponents almost at will, but failed to add to the scoreline.

“I am very disappointed in the score, but I'm very happy that we won,” he said after the game.

“We live to fight another day and I hope our players will keep up the momentum… It was good to see that we created a lot of chances, but our finishing wasn’t there.”

Nizam was the biggest culprit as he spurned the LionsXII’s clearest opening on 55 minutes, side-footing wide from eight yards with the goal gaping after Khairul Amri had laid the ball on a platter.


Khairul Nizam reacts after scoring the opening goal for LionsXII in their FA Cup semi-final (Photo: FAS)

Terengganu goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee was in fine form as well, denying Amri in the first half and then Safuwan in the second half with good stops.

The pick of the bunch came in the closing stages when he brilliantly tipped Amri’s powerful header on to the bar, with the performance drawing praise from both Fandi and his own coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim.

The first 45 minutes was a far tighter affair though. Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Lopez threatened early on for the visitors, but the hosts grew stronger as it wore on.

The returning Safuwan Baharudin misfired a shot from right in front of goal, before the deadlock was broken on the half-hour mark. After Nizam’s initial header off Gabriel Quak’s free-kick was blocked, he reacted quickest to lash the loose ball into the bottom corner.

It was two soon after as Nazrul Nazari’s cross from the right fell to Faris at the far post, who promptly slammed in his fourth goal of the campaign.

However, Terengganu responded through Lopez’s precise free-kick in the 39th minute and were unfortunate not to then equalise.

On the stroke of half-time, Norshahrul set up Ashaari Shamsudin for a 20-yard curler that came off the right post. The former then crossed the rebound for Abdul Manaf Mamat to crash another strike off the same post.

Fandi acknowledged that the LionsXII would need to “prepare better” defensively for the return leg on May 16, especially with Paulo Rangel set to return for Terengganu. The Brazilian hitman, who was suspended for this match, has struck 12 goals in all competitions so far.

“They will have Rangel back and maybe Issey [Nakajima-Farran], so we need to be very tight at the back,” he asserted. “Most importantly, we need to close down the passing angles to this guy, because he doesn’t move much [upfront].

“We want to go there and get an early goal; we need to stay focused and have the belief we will make it through [to the final].”

LionsXII: Izwan Mahbud, Nazrul Nazari, Madhu Mohana, Zulfahmi Arifin, Hafiz Sujad, Gabriel Quak (Syafiq Zainal 67’), Safuwan Baharudin, Izzdin Shafiq, Faris Ramli (Sufian Anuar 88’), Khairul Nizam (Sahil Suhaimi 65’), Khairul Amri.

Terengganu: Sharbinee Allawee, Helmi Remeli, Azlan Zainal, Vincent Bikana, Zubir Azmi, Nordin Alias (C), Sharin Sapien (Hafizal Mohamad 81’), Abdul Manaf Mamat (Fakhrurazi Musa 86’), Gustavo Lopez, Ashaari Shamsudin (Zairo Anuar 69’), Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.

Source: https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/nizam-and-faris-on-target-as-lionsxii-beat-terengganu-in-fa-cup-semi-073651100.html

One that got away | Fandi fears away goal may haunt LionsXII, who are denied a bigger win by Terengganu goalkeeper

Fandi fears away goal may haunt LionsXII, who are denied a bigger win by Terengganu goalkeeper 

ONE THAT FOUND THE NET: 
Khairul Nizam celebrates after scoring a scorcher...TNP PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

BY SHAMIR OSMAN(TNP)

SEMI-FINAL, 1ST LEG

LIONSXII 2

(Khairul Nizam 30, Faris Ramli 34)

TERENGGANU 1

(Gustavo Lopez 39)

Zulfahmi Arifin fell to his knees on the Jalan Besar turf.

His LionsXII teammates wore frowns on their faces.

When referee Zamzaidi Katimin blew the final whistle last night, a hushed silence lingered in the air as 5,891 witnesses knew it was a big wasted opportunity for the LionsXII even though they beat Terengganu 2-1 in the first leg of the Malaysian FA Cup semi-final.

The slim one-goal lead could well prove insufficient when the tie returns to Kuala Terengganu next week.

"I'm very disappointed with the score, but happy with the win. This is only the first half, and we must prepare better for the second leg," LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad lamented with furrowed brows at the post-match press conference.

"It's important to stay focused, and believe. We cannot go (to Kuala Terengganu) with negative thoughts of getting a thrashing or anything like that."

At least the fans could agree with Terengganu coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim that last night's game will go down in history as a semi-final classic.

With thrusts and counter-thrusts, opportunities to score were fashioned at both ends of the pitch as the teams took turns to hit the woodwork.

The dramatic encounter that witnessed grit, gumption and a dollop of attacking intent saw a total of 27 shots and seven yellow cards.

Khairul Nizam opened the scoring in the 30th minute, sending a daisy cutter into the far corner of Sharbinee Allawee's goal, with an unmarked Faris Ramli doubling the lead just four minutes later, as Sharbinee was caught out of position.

HERO

But the Terengganu goalkeeper proved to be the visitors' hero on the night, pulling off at least five top-drawer saves - all of them from point-blank range.

Gustavo Lopez scored with a peach of a free-kick just six minutes before the break, giving Terengganu a vital away goal.

"We knew that the LionsXII would be tough, competitive fighters," said Abdul Rahman.

"We were lucky today, but we also had a few chances. Getting an away goal is good, but still not good enough."

Izzdin Shafiq and Safuwan Baharudin, the latter playing for the LionsXII for the first time since returning from his Melbourne City stint, were superb in the middle of the park last night, breaking up most of what Terengganu threw at them, while also orchestrating forward forays of their own.

But Fandi will have some reshuffling to do ahead of the return leg on Saturday.

He will have to do without four players who will travel to Japan today with the national Under-23 team preparing for the South-east Asia Games, including last night's scorer Faris and forward Sahil Suhaimi.

And, to complicate matters, last season's 16-goal Malaysian Super League top-scorer Paulo Rangel returns from suspension next week, with Terengganu's other foreign forward, Canadian international Issey Nakajima-Farran, possibly coming back from injury.

"To say I won't miss Faris would be (a lie), but the SEA Games is important, and we'll need the other players to step up," said Fandi.

"But maybe we'll need a different type of player for the second leg."

DOMINANT

Fandi hailed the dominant performance of Safuwan and Izzdin in midfield but, if Abdul Rahman's veiled warning was to be heeded, he may consider dropping the 24-year-old back into his natural position in central defence next week.

"(LionsXII central defenders) Madhu Mohana and Zulfahmi were free today but, next week, they'll have to mark (Rangel)," said Abdul Rahman.

"He's a deadly finisher. We'll see what happens."

LIONSXII: Izwan Mahbud, Nazrul Nazari, Madhu Mohana, Zulfahmi Arifin, Hafiz Abu Sujad, Gabriel Quak (Syafiq Zainal 67), Izzdin Shafiq, Safuwan Baharudin, Faris Ramli (Sufian Anuar 88), Khairul Nizam (Sahil Suhaimi 65), Khairul Amri

TERENGGANU: Sharbinee Allawee, Vincent Bikana, Gustavo Lopez, Zubir Azmi, Nordin Alias, Azlan Zainal, Sharin Sapien (Hafizal Mohamad 81), Helmi Remeli, Ashari Samsudin (Zairo Anuar 69), Abdul Manaf (Fakhrurazi Musa 86), Norshahrul Idlan Talaha

OTHER SEMI-FINAL RESULT
Pahang 1 Kelantan 0

MATCH STATS
Shots: LionsXII 9 on target, 8 off target; Terengganu 4 on target, 6 off target
Corners: LionsXII 4, Terengganu 4
Yellow cards: LionsXII 2 (Gabriel Quak 29, Safuwan Baharudin 39); Terengganu 5 (Azlan Zainal 45+1,Zubir Azmi 75, Zairo Anuar 77, Hafizal Mohamad 83, Helmi Remeli 87)
Offsides: LionsXII 1 Terengganu 2
Attendance: 5,891
Match Rating: 9/10
Referee: Zamzaidi Katimin 7.5/10
TNP Man of the Match: Sharbinee Allawee (Terengganu)

Watch the second leg in Terengganu

Al Firdaus Travels is offering a two-day, three-night package for LionsXII fans intending to travel to Terengganu for the second leg of the Malaysian FA Cup semi-final between Fandi Ahmad's men and the Malaysian side on Saturday.

The $160 deal includes a twin-sharing room with breakfast at the Hotel Grand Continental, a ticket in the Singapore section at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, travel insurance and lucky draw.

Fans will travel to the north-eastern state of Malaysia via 29-seater coaches, which will depart at 10pm on Friday and return at 11am on Sunday.

For more information, please contact Walter Koh at 81222459/62972246.

Source: http://www.tnp.sg/sports/football/one-got-away#sthash.AIYFDNOz.dpuf

LionsXII edge Terengganu in Malaysia FA Cup semifinal first leg

By Kelvin Leong(ESPN)

Striker Khairul Nizam, celebrating with Gabriel Quak, scored LionsXII's first goal in the 2-1 win against Terengganu in the Malaysia FA Cup semifinal first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday. Photo credit: LionsXII.

LionsXII capitalised on home advantage prevailing over Terengganu FA 2-1 in their Malaysia FA Cup semifinal first leg match at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday night.

First half goals from Khairul Nizam and Faris Ramli set the Singapore side on their way. But Gustavo Lopez netted a crucial away goal just before the break to make it all to play for in the second leg on May 16.

The visitors created the first opportunity in the fourth minute when Gustavo Lopez's lob found Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, who went past Madhu Mohana only to see his fierce drive palmed away by an alert Izwan Mahbud.

Fandi Ahmad's men were not to be outdone as they began moving the ball around quickly, implementing their trademark passing game. Gabriel Quak fired a tame effort at Sharbinee Allawee in the 10th minute.

The Turtles tried to push forward but it was evident that the home team were growing in confidence.

Safuwan Baharudin, returning from his loan spell in the A-League with Melbourne City, almost opened the scoring on 17 minutes when Faris Ramli found him at the far post with a brilliant free kick. The 24-year-old was about to pull the trigger but his feet got tangled up and the chance went begging.

Khairul Nizam and Quak had two wonderful opportunities in the 21st and 22nd minutes. But a combination of good goalkeeping and poor first touch kept the scoreboard unchanged.

LionsXII's attacking game finally paid off in the 30th minute when Quak fired in a good cross that Azlan Zainal failed to clear leaving Nizam the simple task of blasting past a hapless Sharbinee.

The home crowd were up on their feet again four minutes later when LionsXII doubled their lead through Faris Ramli.

In a pattern of play similar to the first goal, Nazrul swung in a peach of a cross and almost found Nizam who was charging in. But Faris was at the far post to drill it home.

Terengganu managed to pull one back six minutes from the break when Lopez curled a sensational free kick into the top left corner.

A series of chances fell the way of the Turtles in the 43rd minute. But luck was not on their side with Ashari Samsudin and Abdul Manaf both hitting the right post before referee Zamzaidi Katimin blew the half-time whistle.

No changes were made at the break and the start of the second half had a similar storyline as the opening 45 minutes. Nizam tore through the Terengganu defence barely three minutes after the restart but Sharbinee was on hand to deny the in-form striker.

Quak almost scored the third in the 52nd minute, after Vincent Bikana's back-flick fell into the winger's path. But his delicate chip floated glaringly wide with Sharbinee stranded.

Two minutes later, Norshahrul's mazy run presented Lopez with a chance from three yards. But the Argentine sent his shot straight into the Jalan Besar floodlights.

The pendulum swung back LionsXII's way in the 55th minute. Khairul Amri's cut-back across goal was put wide by Nizam, who gave the Turtles' backline a torrid time right through the game.

It was quite strange for a semifinal showdown to have such porous defending. The home side were lining up for shooting practice with Safuwan next up when he rifled a 60th minute shot, only to be pushed away by Sharbinee.

However, it took another 13 minutes before LionsXII recorded another shot. Amri cracked a powerful shot straight into the keeper after a delicate flick off the head of Safuwan.

With five minutes remaining came the save of the match, Sharbinee keeping his team's final chances alive when he tipped Amri's powerful header onto the bar to the relief of coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim.

There were no more goals in sight and the score stood at 2-1 to the LionsXII, setting up a tantalising second leg at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus in a week's time.

Pahang take on Kelantan in the other semifinal.

LionsXII: Izwan Mahbud (GK)(C), Hafiz Sujad, Madhu Mohana, Zulfahmi Arifin, Nazrul Nazari, Izzdin Shafiq, Safuwan Baharudin, Faris Ramli (Sufian Anuar 87'), Gabriel Quak (Syafiq Zainal 66'), Khairul Nizam (Sahil Suhaimi 64'), Khairul Amri

Terengganu FA: Sharbinee Allawee (G), Zubir Azmi, Vincent Bikana, Azlan Zainal, Helmi Remeli, Nordin Alias (C), Sharin Sapien (Hafizal Mohamad 81'), Ashari Samsudin (Zairo Anuar 69'), Abdul Manaf, Gustavo Lopez, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha

Source: http://www.espnfc.com/blog/football-asia/153/post/2440489/lionsxii-edge-terengganu-in-malaysia-fa-cup-sf-first-leg

Malaysian FA Cup: LionsXII beat Terengganu 2-1 at JBS, face a challenging task in the second semifinal

A win is still a win. But with only one goal advantage to take to Terengganu on Malaysia FA Cup second leg next Saturday, coach Lions XII must be aware that they will face a huge and difficult task.

Two goals in four minutes in the first half with Faris Ramli and Khairul Nizam Ramli put LionsXII 2-0 ahead in the first leg at Jalan Besar yesterday.

However, Gustavo Lopez bridge the gap through a beautiful free kick which beat Izwan Mahbud. Both teams failed to add goals and the position remained 2-1.

Lions XII actually have a lot of opportunities to score more goals if not less incisive attack or the brilliance of Terengganu goalkeeper.

Gabriel Quak, Khairul Nizam and especially Khairul Amri, squandered several good chances that if signed, may indicate the end of a 5-1 decision to the Lions XII.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg/piala-fa-lionsxii-tewaskan-terengganu-2-1-di-jbs-hadapi-tugas-mencabar-dalam-separuh-akhir-kedua#sthash.mkGbez8p.dpuf

Malaysian FA Cup Semifinal: LionsXII vs Terengganu [2-1]

Full-Time at Jalan Besar Stadium: 
LionsXII 2-1 Terengganu 
30' Khairul Nizam 
34' Faris Ramli 
39' Gustavo Lopez 

Full Time Statistics:

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAkrxVL_aws

FA Cup Semi-Final Preview: Pahang host Kelantan, Terengganu visit LionsXII

Photo: LionsXII

The first leg of the 2015 Malaysia FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend with Kelantan and Terengganu hoping to take the first step to making it an East Coast final.

Malaysia FA Cup Semi-Final: LionsXII vs Terengganu

Not only have LionsXII won their last three matches, they are also unbeaten at home in six matches this season, good omens ahead of the visit of the Turtles this weekend. Khairul Amri is their top scorer in the FA Cup with three goals, and he will spearhead their attack yet again, possibly alongside his half-brother Khairul Nizam. Afiq Yunos and Samuel Benjamin continue to be long-term absentees, while Shahdan Sulaiman might make another appearance after his return from injury against Sime Darby.

The Singaporeans will also be boosted by the availability of Faris Ramli, Sahil Suhaimi, Christopher van Huizen, and Zakir Samsudin after they were released from SEA Games training for this match. Safuwan Baharudin is also in contention following his return from loan at Melbourne City.

In the other camp, Terengganu will have to make do without top scorer Paulo Rangel, after the Brazilian was suspended for accumulating two yellow cards. This will be the first game he’ll miss this season, and it will be interesting to see how the Turtles cope. Coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim could hand a start to Abdul Manaf Mamat, or new recruit Issey Nakajima-Farran (who has netted two goals in his last two games), to partner Norshahrul Idlan Talaha up front.

The good news is that Terengganu have scored in all 14 matches they’ve played in this season. The bad news is that they’ve only kept two clean sheets during that period, conceding nine goals in their last four matches. They have no injury concerns.

Malaysia FA Cup Semi-Final: Pahang vs Kelantan

Defending champions Pahang will be banking on their impressive recent run of victories to help them book an early spot in the FA Cup final. The Elephants have won their last four matches, netting twelve goals, though the vast majority of those came in a 7-4 win over Yadanarbon in the AFC Cup. Nonetheless, their excellent home record of just one defeat in eleven matches in all competitions will give them the confidence that they can keep Azraai Khor’s side at bay.

Ex-Kelantan striker Dickson Nwakaeme may just come back and haunt his former side. The Nigerian is Pahang’s top scorer in the FA Cup, having scored thrice so far, and is coming off a good run of form of goals and assists. His strike partner Matias Conti is also flourishing with three goals in his last three matches, and the Elephants will also be boosted by their recent ascent to the top of the Super League. However, they will be without central defender Damion Stewart, who will be suspended for accumulating two yellow cards in previous rounds.

Meanwhile, visitors Kelantan are wary of the threat posed by Pahang’s devastating attack, particularly as they are a side that are still trying to gel. Coach Azraai Khor told The Star, “I’ll be happy if we can leave Kuantan with an away goal. That’ll be an ideal result for us considering the number of changes in the team.”

The Red Warriors recruited three players in the recent April transfer window, and all three are set to start the match. Austin Amutu and Erwin Carillo have shaken off knocks, and should partner Brazilian Gilmar da Silva in attack as they did to such devastating effect against Sime Darby in the previous round. Amiridzwan Taj joined his home state from ATM, and will make his debut. The only blot in their copybook will be the absence of skipper Badhri Radzi, who did not travel to Kuantan due to injury.

Source: http://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2015/05/09/11553852/fa-cup-semi-final-preview-pahang-host-kelantan-terengganu

Malaysian Super League: Terengganu FA vs Felda United[1-3] match highlights

The match between Terengganu FA against Felda United at Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium end with Felda United beating Terengganu FA 3-1!

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L__V776sR-0