KUALA LUMPUR: Mohammed Ghaddar rescued Darul Ta’zim from embarrassment as the Johor side came back from a first half setback to earn a 1-1 draw with Perak in the Malaysia Cup semi-final first leg match in Ipoh on Sunday.
The draw can go down as an unimpressive result for Darul Ta’zim as they fielded a near-complete side compared to a weakened Perak who were without five regulars.
However, the Safiq Rahim-led side are still the favourites in this tie as they will entertain Perak in the return leg at Larkin Stadium on Oct 21.
For the record, Darul Ta’zim have not lost to a Malaysian side at home since November, 2015.
Perak fielded a makeshift midfield following the absence of Brazilian Leandro Dos Santos, Hafiz Kamal, Palestinian Yashir Pinto, Jasazrin Jamaluddin and Nazrin Nawi.
In front of a packed Perak Stadium, Mehmet Durakovic’s side were not only tight in all aspects, but were patient when on the attack.
In the 18th minute, Darul Ta’zim’s Hasbullah Abu Bakar gifted Perak a goal.
The left-back accidentally kicked the ball past his own goalkeeper Izham Tarmizi Roslan when he was trying to clear a pass from Perak’s Gilmar Filho to Zaquan Adha Radzak.
However, Ghaddar equalised for his sixth goal in the Malaysia Cup following a defensive error by Perak captain Shahrom Kalam in the 68th minute.