KUALA LUMPUR – After enduring a difficult period that started last season, winger Faisal Halim finally found his scoring touch and capped a brilliant hat-trick to help Selangor FC thrash bottom-placed Kelantan Darul Naim (KDN) FC 7-0 in a 2024/2025 Super League match last night.
The action at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium saw Faisal Halim end a 447-day goal drought (last scored against PDRM FC last season), when calmly receiving a pass from the left by skipper Muhammad Safuwan Baharudin and scoring to kick off the Red Giants’ goal fest in the 13th minute.
Defender Quentin Cheng doubled Selangor’s tally with a volley from a difficult angle on the right side of the pitch in the 31st minute before creating an opportunity for Faisal Halim, who was a victim of an acid splashing incident last May, to score his second personal goal in the second minute of injury time of the first half.
Katsuhito Kinoshi’s move to bring in midfielder Muhammad Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi in place of import Yohandry Orozco in the second half really made an impact as he became the architect for three more goals scored by Selangor.
Mukhairi Ajmal’s pass opened the door for Harith Haiqal and defender Adam Afkar to score two goals in a short spell, namely 54th and 56th minutes respectively, followed by a pass from the right side that Faisal Halim capitalised to complete his hat-trick in the 66th minute.
Substitute striker Muhammad Aliff Izwan Yuslan did not waste the opportunity provided when he cleverly sniffed out a pass from Croatian midfielder Nikola Jambor to seal Selangor’s big victory, thus consolidating their position in second place with 46 points while KDN remained mired in the bottom of the table with seven points.
Meanwhile, two goals from import striker Kpah Sherman in the 72nd and 78th minutes respectively helped Sri Pahang FC collect three valuable points when they defeated the host PDRM FC 3-1 at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium.
Earlier, Argentina defender Stefano Brundo’s header opened the scoring for the East Coast squad in the 38th minute while the consolation goal of the ‘The Cops’ squad was contributed by Bruno Suzuki seven minutes after the second half continued.
Sri Pahang’s fourth win of the season sees them now in tenth place in the league with 20 points while PDRM is in eighth position in the league with 21 points.
The other league action at the Manjung Municipal Council Stadium involved hosts Perak FC and Negeri Sembilan FC in a match that ended in a goalless draw.
The result helped both teams maintain their respective positions in the league with Perak FC collecting 24 points in seventh place and Negeri Sembilan in 12th place with 13 points. – March 9, 2025