Selangor FC managed to advance into the final of the RCTI Premium Sports International Tournament after edging out fellow Liga Super Malaysia side Sabah FC 3-2 in Thursday's semifinal at the Jakarta International Stadium.
With the Liga Super entering a break due to international duty, both Selangor and Sabah fielded their best sides in the opening match of the RCTI Premium Sports International Tournament, which included the likes of Khairulazhan Khalid, Quentin Cheng, Aliff Haiqal, Yohandry Orozco, and Ronnie Fernandez featuring for Selangor, while Sabah has the likes of Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Rawilson Batuil, Park Tae-soo, and Gary Steven Robbat, with Saddil Ramdani waiting on the bench.
Both sides went straight for the jugular straight after kick-off, with Orozco testing Khairul with a powerful free-kick in the 11th minute which the former Kelantan FA goalie easily saved.
The deadlock remained intact until stoppage time, when Haiqal finally got the better of Khairul with a blistering shot after an excellent pass from Ghanaian midfielder Alexander Agyarkwa.
Three minutes later the Red Giants doubled their lead, after a botched clearance from Sabah's Tae-soo led to an own-goal from the usually reliable South Korean midfielder.
Saddil was introduced by Sabah head coach Ong Kim Swee during half-time alongside the likes of Telmo Castanheira, Jafri Firdaus Chew, and Irfan Fazail with hopes that the Rhinos could slash the deficit.
And the deficit was halved in the 61st minute, after an excellent teamwork between Saddil and Ko Kwang-min led to the latter finding Fazail, who rifled an easy shot past Khairulazhan.
Saddil then showed some individual brilliance to equalize for Sabah in the 63rd minute, weaving through the Selangor defense before finally beating Khairulazhan.
However, a swift counterattack from Selangor in the 70th minute saw Orozco score his second of the game, which turned out to be the winner.
With the win, Selangor are set to take on Persija Jakarta in June 2nd's final, while Sabah will face PSIS Semarang in the third place play-off on the same day.
Continue reading Selangor Edge Out Sabah in Thrilling Jakarta Friendly at Football Tribe Asia.
