Selangor FC take the advantage in the 2024/24 MFL Challenge Cup Final 1 against PDRM FC with a 3-2 result yesterday at the MBPJ Stadium, Kelana Jaya.

The Red Giants forward, Alvin Fortes had scored the opening goal as early as the 3rd minute of the match after receiving a chip pass from Ronnie Fernandez. However, the joy did not last long when the team captain, Safuwan Baharudin, was given a red card in the 11th minute after being confirmed via VAR. However, playing with just 10 men didn’t seem to lower the spirit of the Red and Yellow players. Alvin Fortes once again added to his goal tally in the 18th minute of the match after the ball that Bryan See saved fell right in front of him then he proceeded to shoot the ball in with great accuracy. After that, PDRM FC began to show their fangs, before the end of the first half, they managed to score two goals from the 27th minute by Shahrel Fikir and Badrul Affendy in the 39th minute.

Both teams exchanged attacks to ensure they went home with one more goal to take to the second round. Luck favoured the Red Giants when Ali Olwan made a run to the middle then straightaway kicked the ball into the net after receiving a pass from Quentin Cheng in the 50th minute. A few minutes before the match ended, Kalamullah Al-Hafiz faced a situation where he managed to save the Red Yellow goal three times in a row before the whistle was blown, keeping the Red Giants in the game.

Katsuhito Kinoshi, Head Coach of Selangor FC, expressed his gratitude for the performance displayed by his players despite playing with only 10 men.

“Selangor played with 10 players for 80 minutes, this is a moment that we need to deal with well. In football, a red card is a red card, there is nothing we can do but we just need to deal with it. The actions we choose must be correct and not recklessly according to anger. I am very happy that they played well and showed a high team spirit until the end of the match. Now we just need to focus on the second round and try to get the win,” explained Kinoshi during a press conference after the match.

Next week will be the night to decide the Champion for the MFL Challenge Cup 2024/25 where Selangor FC will face PDRM FC for the second Final match on 22nd February at 9pm.

The management of Selangor FC would like to express gratitude to the 3,768 fans who attended the MBPJ Stadium, Kelana Jaya yesterday to support the team. We always appreciate your presence and voice.

Demi Kebanggaan!