PERAK were crowned champions of the 2018 Malaysia Cup after beating Terengganu FC (TFC) 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 draw at Shah Alam Stadium last night.

Perak goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizul Hakim Jothy emerged the hero, saving the opponents’ first two spot kicks, leading to the team winning their eighth title.

TFC and Perak met in the Malaysia Cup finals after 17 years, bringing back memories of their classic encounters in 1998 and 2001.

TFC entered the final through a 3-2 aggregate win over defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, while Perak advanced after thrashing Sabah 7-2 over two legs of the semi-final.

Perak lifted the Malaysia Cup in 1998, winning 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw.

The Terengganu side were crowned champions in 2001 after defeating Perak 2-1 at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

TFC went ahead just 48 seconds into the match after star striker Kipre Tchetche latched on to a loose ball, following a poor back pass by Perak midfielder Mohamad Idris Ahmad.

The match’s aggressive atmosphere, coupled with referee Suresh Jayaraman’s decision to award many advantages and allow the game to continue, saw a flurry of attacks in both directions.

At the end of the first half, Perak’s poor attempt to get the ball out of its half resulted in an interception by TFC midfielder Abdul Malik Mat Arif, who passed it to Kipre, and the Ivorian made no mistake in doubling the lead, helping himself to a brace in the process.

The second half saw the resurgence of Mehmet Durakovic’s men, who came flying out of the blocks to halve the lead through Muhammad Firdaus Saiyadi’s strike in the 46th minute.

After the goal, the match, which was attended by 78,783 spectators, became tensed with several incidents on the pitch, which led to red cards for Perak striker Gilmar da Silva (58th minute) and TFC’s Lee Andrew Tuck (66th).

As supporters from the east coast celebrated their lead and what had seemed to be an imminent victory, The Bos Gaurus pulled off a stunning comeback, with Brendan Gan’s solid shot into the back of the net taking the match into extra time.

TFC once again pulled ahead after Faiz scored a screamer in the 96th minute, but an own goal by Igor Zonjic in the last minute of the game forced a penalty shoot-out.

The 1998 Malaysia Cup final came back to haunt TFC, as Irfan Bakti’s men fell to a 1-4 defeat in the shoot-out. – Bernama, October 28, 2018.