Selangor Advances to TM Malaysia Cup Final, Will Face JDT

The Red Giants booked their ticket to the TM Malaysia Cup 2022 final after defeating challengers Terengganu FC 3-2 on aggregate despite losing 1-0 in the second leg Semi-Final match, on Monday night.

Despite having the two goals advantage heading to the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Gong Badak was not an easy place to go to for the Red Giants as The Turtles clearly dominated the match having more attempts on goal in search of an early goal as  team captain, Tchetche Kipre, send a warning as his volley glanced off the bar. 

Playing in front of the noisy 30,000 supporters, Nafuzi Zain's men continued to apply pressure to the Selangor defense and their efforts paid off when Faisal Halim's theatening run in the 36th minute made it uncomfortable for  Selangor's defense as he managed to find Kipre, whose deflected shot somehow manage to squeeze in through the body of defenders ahead and was adjudged by the referree to have past the line making the deficit to just one goal.

In the second half, Selangor almost equalized, despite rarely attacking, through Brendan Gan but Terengganu defender Pape Diakite managed to clear the ball from a dangerous area in the 73rd minute.

Increasingly desperate, as Terengganu continued to push for the crucial goal, Selangor's import defender from Jordan, Yazan Al Arab, was unlucky to be shown a second yellow card and was consequently sent off after pulling Tchetche Kipre in the 87th minute.

Despite playing with 10 players, Selangor's defense continued to absorb the oppositions continuous attack and defended well to maintain the 1-0 scoreline until the final whistle to confirm our spot in the final with a 3-2 aggregate and will meet last season's finalist, Johor Darul Ta'zim.

When interviewed, Selangor Head Coach Tan Cheng Hoe was clearly proud of his men's achievements and describes the final match against JDT as an uphill battle to overcome.

"I am proud of the performance of all the players from the first round until tonight. They were disciplined enough to defend themselves despite being attacked numerous times throughout the game. Facing JDT in the Final is not an easy task for us but we will give everything to bring home this prestigious trophy to Selangor," he said.

Selangor will meet Johor Darul Ta'zim at the Bukit Jali National Stadium on November 26 and this will be the Red Giants' 50th appearance in the Malaysia Cup final for the record.

Demi Kebanggaan!