Malaysian Super League champions Negeri Sembilan stayed on course for a double after defeating Sarawak in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Cup on Saturday for a place against Melaka Telekom in the last four. The other semifinal will feature Perlis and archrivals Perak.
Negeri had drawn the first leg 1-1 and had Christain Beckamengo to thank for his 81st minute equaliser in the second leg which neutralised Sanjos Sundawat's 31st minute opener. The game went to penalties and in this Negri managed to squeeze through 5-4.
Their semifinal rivals had the easiest win of all the quarterfinalists after adding a 2-0 victory against embattled MPPJ in the second leg to their first leg 3-0 triumph. On the mark in the return leg were Rudie Ramli (36) and Zainuddin Ariffin (57).
Perlis had a narrow 3-2 lead over Terangganu in the first leg and Phillimon Chepita's 72nd minute goal ensured a 1-1 tie in the second leg to put them through.
Perak registered a 5-2 aggregate win over Penang, following up from their 3-0 win in the first leg. Perak fell behind to A Jagannathan's 37th minute opener but Keita Mandjou restored parity on 58 minutes and R Surendran made it 2-1 in the 78th minute. Sasa Brenezac fired the game equaliser seven minutes from time but Penang were still two goals well short of forcing a shoot-out.
The first leg of the semifinals will be played on September 2, with the return leg on September 9.
11 August 2006
Embattled Malaysia Cup quarterfinalists MPPJ suffered another blow on Wednesday when Brazilian Carlos Alberto Ianiski quit the team, making him the second import to walk out after Argentine Juan Manuel Arostegui.
MPPJ have not paid salaries to their players for some time now and their participation in the next M-League season is very doubtful. MPPJ coach Khan Hung Meng told The Star daily that Ianiski had left for home.
"The show must still go on," said Hung Meng whose team faces Melaka Telekom in the last eight return leg of the Malaysia Cup on Saturday. They lost the first leg 3-0. "We need an early goal and the boys have to push hard for two more. It is not impossible and there is still a fighting chance," said Hung Meng. "Spirits are high although the pockets are dry."
10 August 2006
Two more embattled clubs are likely to quit the Malaysian League because of financial woes, reported the local media on Tuesday. Selangor MPPJ and Penang NTFA have failed to confirm their participation for next season's 14-club Super League and Premier League respectively, though the July 31 deadline has long passed.
The Football Association of Selangor (FAS) has already appealed to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to give Selangor MPPJ, who won the Malaysia Cup in 2003, another week to commit themselves. Newspaper reports said the club was facing financial difficulties and saddled with debt to the tune of between RM400,000 and RM1.2 million. MPPJ are yet to settle their players' salaries for between two and three months.
The FAM competitions committee chairman Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar told The Star daily he could not confirm whether the teams are pulling out. "We will meet soon to deliberate on the matter," said Raja Ahmad. "Any withdrawals would upset our plans. In fact, all the teams have been told of their responsibilities and commitments ...the risks and financial obligations."
Last year, six clubs had quit the M-League mainly due to financial difficulties.
06 August 2006
Perak and Melaka Telekom made it look so easy when they took apart their rivals in the Malaysia Cup first leg quarterfinals on Saturday, getting one foot into the semifinals with identical 3-0 wins over Penang E&O and MPPJ respectively.
In the other last eight encounters, Negeri Sembilan were held to a 1-1 draw by Sarawak while Perlis edged Terengganu 3-2 in a highscoring encounter.
