Six matches were played during the midweek in the MSL. Allow me to review some of the matches in here. The focus would surely have been to the top four teams who faced each other. Kedah hosted N.Sembilan while Terengganu hosted Selangor in the top of the table clashes this week. Following are the teams that played in the midweek clashes:
- Perlis vs Perak
- PDRM vs Brunei DPMM
- Kedah vs N.Sembilan
- Terengganu vs Selangor
- Pahang vs UPB MyTeam
- Penang vs Johor FC
Perlis, after their shocking weekend defeat to UPB MyTeam, bounced back to defeat Perak at home. Perak, who were also fresh from their 2-5 drubbing in Kedah, stood their ground for the most of the match. It took Kedah 83 minutes to break down the solid Perak defense. Nizaruddin Yusof slotted home before Chepita added in the second 5 minutes later to earn Perlis a hard fought 3 points at home.
PDRM managed to put their 4-2 defeat at Selangor behind to win 2-1 at home. They played host to Brunei DPMM. Brunei opened up with a goal 8 minutes before half time. M.Faizal then, leveled things up for PDRM in the early stages of the second half. Midway through the second half, PDRM was given a penalty. Azlan Ismail, thus, slotted home from the spot for PDRM to get their full three points of the night.
The current leader, Kedah went up against N.Sembilan in one of the two top of the table clash. It was a hard fought battle for both teams. The score was tied at 1-1 at half time. Kedah went up first with their goal in the 21st minute through Saramsak. N.Sembilan drew level 10 minutes later through their Nigerian striker Udo Fortune. Kedah scored their go ahead goal from the spot. The spot kick was taken by their Chilean midfielder, Nelson Martin, in the 69th minute to make it a 2-1 win for Kedah over N.Sembilan.
Another top of the table clash, the match between Terengganu and Selangor, ended up in a draw. Both teams could only score a goal each. Selangor drew first blood as Frank Seator finished off a move started of with a long range pass by D.Surendran. It took Selangor six minutes to break down the Terengganu defense and score their first goal. After the goal, Selangor went into their defensive mode.
The Selangor defense withheld and absorbed all the pressure created by the Terengganu onslaught. They held on throughout the half and was able to go into the dressing room at half time with their 1-0 lead intact.
Terengganu started off the second period as they left it. They poured on the pressure as Selangor relied heavily on counter attacks. Their relentless pursue for the equalizer paid off finally, in the 90th minute. Off a corner set piece, the lanky Brazilian import, Fabio Flo headed into the goal for the precious equalizer and earning one point for Terengganu.
Pahang secured their third win of the season with a 1-0 win over UPB MyTeam in Kuantan. The match was headed for a draw. Rediune Barkaoui gave Pahang the 3 points by slotting home the winner in the dying minutes of the match.
In Penang, the Islanders could only muster a 0-0 draw with Johor FC at home. They continued their not so productive season to gain only their sixth point for the season.
Six more matches were played on Saturday. With Selangor having an off day, it was up to N.Sembilan and Terengganu to keep the pressure on the table leader Kedah.
- Sarawak vs Penang
- Brunei DPMM vs Terengganu
- N.Sembilan vs Perlis
- Johor FC vs Kedah
- Perak vs Pahang
- UPB MyTeam vs PDRM
Sarawak hosted Penang in the bottom table clash of the season. Sarawak further humiliating Penang with 3-0 home win. The win however still did not bring Sarawak up in the table. They are still languishing at the bottom of the table. Penang, although losing the match, still sits one spot above Sarawak in the table. Both teams have 6 points and are only separated by goal difference with Penang having the better goal difference.
Brunei DPMM, hosting Terengganu, managed a 1-1 draw. The draw thwarted Terengganu’s chance to go top of Selangor in the table.
N.Sembilan continue to put pressure on the league leader as they host the Northern Lions in Paroi. N.Sembilan got their opener in the 18th minute through a header by Aidil Zaquan. Perlis fought hard to find their equalizer to no avail as N.Sembilan held strong to their slender lead through the half.
The second half saw Perlis putting more pressure in search of their equalizer. They created several chances which they squandered in front of the N.Sembilan goal. Then, off the run of play, N.Sembilan youngster S.Kunalan worked out a one two with Aidil Zaquan to split the Perlis defense before coolly slotting home the winner in the 88th minute.
Over in Johor, Kedah continued to rule the table as they roll over Johor FC with a sound 1-3 win in Pasir Gudang. Kedah didn’t get to score until the 45th minute. Badrul Bakhtiar opened it up for Kedah just before half time. Mohd Riduan Maon leveled things up for Johor FC in the 66th minute. Then, it was all Marlon. He scored a brace in the 71st and the 88th minute to secure Kedah the valuable three points to stay on top of the table.
Perak hosted Pahang in Ipoh. The match had to be postponed for about 50 minutes due to heavy rain. The delay, however, did not effect the Perak players too much as they stroll to a 2-1 win. Both Perak goals were scored by Carlos Caceras. The first from the penalty spot in the 57th minute. He slotted home the second 10 minutes later. Pahang pulled one back through Redouane Barkaqui, also from the penalty spot in the 86th minute.
UPB MyTeam secured their second win of the season whilst hosting PDRM. The 2-0 win moves them above both Penang and Sarawak in the table. Their first goal came from the penalty spot. Miljan Radovic convertedfrom the spot in the 40th while Zamri Chin added the second in the 45th minute.
Here’s how the teams are positioned in the MSL table after this week’s matches.
