KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Aliff Haiqal Lokman Hakim Lau’s solitary goal was enough to secure Selangor FC’s 1-0 victory in their first 2024/2025 Super League match against Kedah Darul Aman (KDA) FC at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium, Petaling Jaya last night.
Both teams seemed a bit rusty in the first half as players were trying to find their rhythm, squandering several chances at goal.
KDA FC captain Sony Norde’s attempt in the ninth minute went awry, while Selangor FC’s Noor Al-Deen Mahmoud Ali Al Rawabdeh’s attempt during a chaotic moment in the 11th minute was stopped by KDA FC keeper Kalamullah Al-Hafiz Mat Rowi.
The best opportunity for KDA FC came in the 38th minute, but the Kedah squad failed to capitalise on a corner kick by Sony.
A moment of solidarity shone through in the seventh minute when fans from both teams filled the stadium with applause to show their support for Selangor FC winger Faisal Halim, who fell victim to a recent acid attack.
Selangor’s goal came late in the game, with substitute Aliff Haiqal scoring in the 85th minute, and the Red Giants fans celebrated with cries of ‘siu’, in recognition of Faisal Halim’s no 7 jersey.
In ISKANDAR PUTERI, defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) had no trouble at home and beat Negeri Sembilan FC 3-1 at home in Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
JDT also received their seventh consecutive Charity Shield at the start of the match from Malaysian Football League (MFL) chief executive officer Datuk Stuard Ramalingam.
The home team opened the account with twin strikes from Bergson Da Silva, the first in the 12th minute, followed by the second in the 16th.
Team captain Jordi Amat Maas scored the third with a 71st minute header, while Negeri Sembilan’s solitary goal came in the 28th minute through Hein Htet Aung.
In IPOH, Perak FC lost 2-3 to PDRM FC at home at the Perak Stadium.
Perak FC started off well by scoring an early goal in the ninth minute through defender Tommy Mawat Bada only to see visiting team PDRM FC redouble their efforts to equalise in the 24th minute through Ifedayo Olusegun.
The visitors then took the lead in the second half with a goal from Bruno Suzuki in the 72nd minute, but Perak substitute Wan Zack Haikal managed to even things out with a goal in the 88th minute.
Ifedayo turned villain for Perak fans as he scored a blistering goal in the 12th minute of injury time to sink Perak and secure three points for PDRM FC.
— Bernama
