KUALA LUMPUR: Darul Ta’zim will play Premier League side PKNS in the first ever all-club FA Cup final on May 14.
Reigning AFC Cup winners Darul Ta’zim edged Kedah 4-3 on aggregate after a 3-1 win over the former champions in the return leg at Larkin Stadium today.
In Ipoh, PKNS became the first second tier club to make the final since Sime Darby in 2012 after they edged Perak 2-1 for a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Darul Ta’zim’s opened accounts through Argentine striker Pereyra Diaz in the 23rd minute before Juan Martin Lucero extended the lead in the 53rd minute.
Substitute Ahmad Fakri Saarani reduced the deficit for Kedah in the 67th minute but Diaz regained Darul Ta’zim two-goal advantage a minute before the final whistle.
“We did not give up until the final whistle. We played as a team and won as a team. It is an honour to take the club into the final,” Darul Ta’zim captain Safiq Rahim told TV9 yesterday.
Perak who were without several regulars fell behind in the sixth minute when Matias Jadue headed in PKNS' opening goal. However, Perak equalised through Nazirul Naim Che Hashim’s diving header in the 46th minute.
Perak's joy was short-lived as PKNS regained their lead when Juan Cobelli headed home a cross in the 67th minute.
"PKNS' goals all came from headers. It was something I had anticipated before the match as PKNS have tall foreign players. We could not defend well against their imports," said Perak coach Syamsul Saad.