KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor put their off-field problems behind them to claim a 2-0 win over Penang in their opening Super League match in Selayang on Saturday.
With financial issues clouding their pre-season preparation, leading to the availability of just two foreign players, Selangor showed they may just have it in them to survive the season following the departure of several key players.
The result put Selangor top of the fledgling Super League table, ahead of Felda United on goal difference after last year's runners-up defeated newly-promoted PKNS 1-0 in Jengka thanks to Norshahrul Idlan Talaha's 68th-minute strike.
In other matches, Kuala Terengganu Team and Sarawak drew 1-1 while Perak and Pahang shared the spoils in Ipoh with the same score.
Selangor began the season strongly as they tested new Penang goalkeeper Syed Adney Syed Hussein early on through Raimi Md Nor's free-kick before Saiful Riduwan Selamat flashed a shot wide.
Penang's Fifa Puskas Award winner Faiz Subri came close to breaking the deadlock twice, just failing to connect to Faizat Ghazli's cross before putting a free-kick wide.
Selangor found their breakthrough 10 minutes from half-time when Adam Nor Adlin was the quickest to react after Syed Adney parried Ugo Ukah's header off S. Veenod's cross.
Francis Doe, who had been denied by Syed Adney minutes earlier, doubled Selangor's advantage on 45 minutes when latched on to a Saiful pass and then side-stepped a defender before slotting home.
Felda subdued PKNS despite seeing Lucas Cano have a penalty saved by goalkeeper Nor Haziq Aris before Norshahrul marked his debut for the club with a second-half winner.
In Ipoh, Ahmad Syamim Yahya fired visitors Pahang ahead from Ashaari Samsudin's cross only for Perak defender Thiago Junio Aquino to head in the equaliser from Zaquan Adha Radzak's corner kick.
Hosts T-Team were pegged back nine minutes from time when Sarawak scored through Mateo Roskam in Kuala Terengganu after taking the lead Nor Hakim Hassan four minutes into the second half.
Defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim were held 1-1 by Kedah on Friday though they lost the penalty shootout for the Charity Cup.