KEDAH left defending champions Pahang on the brink of exiting the Malaysia Cup with a well-deserved 3-1 win in the semi-final first leg in Alor Star yesterday.
Goals by Namkung Woong and Farhan Roslan early in each half put Premier League side Kedah in charge only for Argentine Conti to rifle in a free-kick in injury time to give the defending champions hope.
But substitute Khyril Muhymeen Zambri restored Kedah's two-goal lead just before the final whistle as Kedah dream of a return to the final for the first time since 2008 ahead of Friday's return leg in Kuantan.
Kedah coach Tan Cheng Hoe dropped Khyril to the bench in the only change from the side which defeated Kelantan 3-0 in the quarter-finals second leg with Farhan coming in on the left flank.
Pahang were without suspended trio Dickson Nwakaeme, Damion Stewart and Hafiz Kamal though striker Conti returned from a two-match ban.
Woong set a packed Darulaman Stadium alight when he fired in a spectacular effort from 30 metres as the swerve on the ball completely bamboozled Pahang goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid with just nine minutes gone.
It was the one-capped South Korean striker's second goal of the tournament.
Kedah should have been two up on 28 minutes but Farhan blazed over after stealing the ball from Pahang right-back Saifulnizam Miswan.
After R. Gopinathan's cut-back caused mayhem in the Kedah penalty box with three Pahang players failing to put the ball into the back of the net, the home team countered and scored.
Baddrol Bakhtiar's cross into the box was met by Farhan with a flying header to beat Khairul a second time in the 49th minute.
Three minutes later Faizol Hussain placed the ball the wrong side of the post as Pahang spurned another chance while Kedah substitute Syafiq Ahmad saw his header strike the post.
Pahang fullback Shahrizan Salleh also hit the post with a header while Baddrol's attempt with an overhead saw the ball just fly narrowly over before the late drama unfolded.