DEFENDING champions Pahang, Super League winners Darul Ta’zim, FA Cup runners-up Felda United and Kelantan eased into the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals after the penultimate round of group matches yesterday.
The four teams joined Police in making up more than half of the last-eight cast while Darul Ta’zim’s 1-0 win over Armed Forces at a packed Selayang Stadium sealed top spot in Group C with one game remaining.
Kelantan will finish second to Darul Ta’zim in Group C after a 3-1 win over Penang at the City Stadium.
FA Cup champions Pahang progressed despite going down 2-1 to LionsXII in Kuantan but Felda’s 3-1 win over Johor in Pasir Gudang ensured both teams went through from Group A.
Darul Ta’zim weathered a second-half onslaught from Forces to secure the win after Nazrin Nawi set Luciano Figueroa free in the 19th minute with a delightful pass using the outside of his left foot and the Argentine finished with aplomb past an out-of-position Forces goalkeeper Syed Adney Syed Hussain for the only goal of the game.
In Georgetown, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria’s 35th-minute opener for Kelantan was cancelled by Luiz Ricardo Lino Dos Santos three minutes after the break but Khairul Izuan Rosli restored the visitors’ lead on the hour and Francis Doe made sure of the win seven minutes from time.
Pahang took the lead at the Darulmakmur Stadium in the 13th minute when Azamuddin Akil’s low cross was scuffed by Fauzi Roslan but the ball rolled kindly to Dickson Nwakaeme to sidefoot into goal.
Sufian Anuar gave LionsXII hope in the 52nd minute with a looping header over goalkeeper Nasril Nourdin from Madhu Mohana’s cross before the later scored the winner with a header of his own in the 84th but it was to not enough to prevent the Singapore side’s elimination.
Felda reached the quarter-finals for a third time in four years as they grabbed an early lead through Zah Rahan Krangar off a corner after five minutes and 10 minutes later, Ahmad Syamim Yahya made it 2-0.
Raimi Md Nor’s corner-kick slipped through goalkeeper Anis Faron Ahmad Arsidi’s gloves for Felda’s third five minutes into the second half before Nicolas Delmonte pulled one back for Johor. By Devinder Singh