Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Selayang: Patrick Wleh scored in the dying seconds to ensure Selangor took all three points against Sheikh Jamal from Bangladesh, with a 2-1 win that keeps the Malaysian side in contention for a place in the Round of 16 in the 2016 AFC Cup.
Wleh struck in the 89th minute with both sides down to 10 men for the final 20 minutes after Sheikh Jamal’s Yeasin Khan was sent off for a late tackle on Andik Vermansyah while Selangor had seen Hafiz Khamal dismissed 12 minutes earlier.
"I am very relieved to get the win,” said Selangor coach Zainal Abidin Hassan. “We still have a chance to advance into the next round, especially after Ceres defeated Tampines.
"Credit to my players for their never-say-die attitude and high discipline. Only after Sheikh Jamal had a player dismissed, then we regained our momentum and controlled the game from there.
"Sheikh Jamal are not a schoolboy team. It boils down to experience. Sometimes we are too eager to attack so we miss open chances. Scoring goals is not easy even though we had a lot of chances."
Selangor had taken the lead after just 16 minutes when Andik turned Khan before surging into the penalty area and cutting the ball across for Ahmad Bakri to side foot home from seven yards out.
Andik shot over the bar in the 32nd minute as Selangor pushed for a second, and it was a miss they were to rue three minutes later as Sheikh Jamal levelled when Landing Darboe scored at the second attempt after the home defence failed to clear the danger.
Sheikh Jamal goalkeeper Maksudur Rahman pulled off a fine save to keep the scores level going into the interval as he tipped Andik’s long-range drive over the bar with two minutes remaining in the half.
Selangor’s hopes of taking all three points were hit when Khamal was sent off for throwing an elbow in the 58th minute, but parity in terms of numbers was restored 12 minutes later when Khan was sent off for upending Andik.
However, the Malaysian side struggled to break through until the dying seconds, when Liberian Wleh scored to the relief of the home fans.
The win moves Selangor on to seven points from four games, level with Singapore’s Tampines Rovers and just one behind Group E leaders Ceres La Salle from the Philippines, with the defeat ensuring Sheikh Jamal are eliminated.
"We didn't take our chances and I didn't have my strongest squad available,” said Sheikh Jamal coach Shafiqul Islam Malik. We had only two defenders, who until today had not played in the tournament. It was a game of missed opportunities for us.
"Selangor were a bit shaky in the second half and our players tried to take advantage of that. I don't think they were performing at the level they did previously against us [in Bangladesh].”
Photo: Lagardère Sports