Mohammad Ghaddar becomes a warrior as his solitary strike wins Kelantan the FA Cup
It was a rousing atmosphere at the Bukit Jalil stadium as Kelantan started brightly against Sime Darby, Nohshahrul’s early effort easily gathered by Sime Darby goalkeeper Redzuan Harun.
Defender S.Subramaniam then was forced to make way for Rizal Fahmi as he appeared to suffer a gash on his forehead. That substitution didn’t affect Kelantan’s shape as Ghaddar headed wide from a good position following Badri Radhi’s pin-point free-kick.
Sime Darby’s Patrick ‘Ronaldinho’ Wleh then burst into life after a subdued start, but his galloping 50 yard run ended in disappointment as his final ball was a letdown.
The first half ended goalless as Sime Darby were more than happy to park the bus against Kelantan who looked short of ideas upfront.
The Red Warriors however came out a rejuvenated side in the second half and they took the lead on the hour mark.
Mohd Fairuz appeared to foul Obinna Nwaneri in the box following a Kelantan free-kick and referee Suhaizi Shukri had no problem pointing to the penalty spot. Mohammad Ghaddar calmly stepped up to dispatch his spot-kick and send 80,000 Kelantan fans into delirium.
Chanturu then made way for Nurul Azwan as Kelantan began to turn on the style, showcasing some short, quick interplay to escape the hounding shadows of Sime Darby’s defenders.
Mohd Ghaddar was in confident mood after his goal, his brilliant shimmy and cross was however tamely met by the head of Badri Radhi.
Kelantan had one final chance at the end to kill off the game, but Indra Putra blazed wide from the edge of the box after being teed up by Nohshahrul.
It barely mattered, as the Red Warriors hung on to claim their first ever FA Cup title accompanied by pandemonium amongst the sea of Red Warriors supporters who will surely party the night away to celebrate this historic win .
By Nicolas Anil, GOAL.COM
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