KUALA LUMPUR – Faisal Halim showed the world that he’s a man of made of steel as his presence on the substitute bench helped Selangor FC qualify for their ninth FA Cup final by defeating Terengganu 6-4 (4-1) on aggregate at the MBPJ Stadium last night.
In front of a sold-out crowd, fans were stunned to see Faisal on Selangor’s team sheet for the FA Cup tie after suffering fourth-degree burns from an acid attack on May 5.
Faisal, affectionately known as “Mickey,” was spotted wearing a mask to protect the wounds on his face. However, the 26-year-old winger was not given any game time in the intense match that saw 10,569 fans flock to the stadium.
The Red Giants, utilising a 4-1-4-1 formation, demonstrated stability in both defense and offense from the opening minutes of the game.
Head coach Nidzam Jamil was seen shouting at his charges from the touchline as his squad penetrated Terengganu’s backline through the explosive runs of Alvin Fortes and Ronnie Fernandez on the flanks.
Their attacking efforts were rewarded in the third minute of the match when Yohandry Orozco’s left-footed corner found skipper Safuwan Baharudin, who calmly headed the ball to give his side a 1-0 lead.
The duo repeated the script in the sixth minute to give their side an early 2-0 lead, with Orozco once again finding Safuwan from the left corner, and the Singaporean international easily scoring past goalkeeper Syed Muhammad Nasrulhaq.
The deployment of Orozco on the deep half of the left attack by Nidzam proved fruitful for Selangor, as the attacking midfielder made a total of 18 runs and eight creative passes in the span of 16 minutes after assisting both goals.
The Turtles, under the guidance of Croatian coach Tomislav Steinbruckner, didn’t take too long to respond as they came back into the game in the 22nd minute through Ismahil Akinade, who easily slotted his goal past Samuel Somerville after his shot was intercepted by Harith Haiqal.
Terengganu’s Safawi Rashid, who was brought on loan from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), was the only threat for the Turtles in the remaining minutes of the first half, testing goalkeeper Somerville with his low shots.
Selangor was much deadlier in the second half, creating more chances while maintaining 67% of possession.
Safuwan, who was making his 67th appearance for the Red Giants, showed the world he’s not only good with his defense but also his attacking attributes as he completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute with a fierce left-footed shot, shocking the traveling Terengganu fans.
Terengganu then kept threatening Selangor’s defense through Safawi, with three of his shots from outside the penalty box hitting the crossbar.
Jordan-born Reziq Bani Hani, who was brought on for Fernandez in the 84th minute, sealed the victory in the 90th minute after a perfect pass from Fortes, which involved a review by the video assistant referee.
The first leg of the semifinal on July 19 saw Terengganu edge past Selangor with a 3-2 victory at home.
Selangor is expected to take on JDT or Kedah FC in the FA Cup final on August 24.
For the record, the Red Giants have won the FA Cup five times (1991, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2009) in their 119-year history. – August 4, 2024