Selangor a 'Super' hurdle in Fighters' survival
THEY say lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
However, it has struck Felda United yet again as the relegation-threatened club will be fighting for Super League survival when they play Selangor in their final match of the competition this week.
Felda were in a similar situation last year but maintained their top-tier status on the final day of the Super League when they beat Kedah 5-1. PJ City FC also lent a helping hand by edging PKNP FC (now known as Perak II) 1-0.
On Saturday, Nidzam Jamil’s side will again have to rely on a miracle to stay in the top flight. Their survival also depends on the result between 10th-placed Sabah and surprise package UiTM FC in Kota Kinabalu.
Nidzam believes his club have a 50 per cent chance of remaining in the top-tier league.
“People say miracles only happen once in a lifetime, but we are hoping for it to happen again.
“Now, we need to beat Selangor and rely on UiTM to defeat Sabah. We cannot control other results. We can only focus on our game and do our best. Some of the players were in a similar boat last year, so they know how vital is the final match,” he told reporters after the 3-0 defeat to Terengganu in Jengka on Saturday.
The coach said he will take full responsibility if his team fail in their mission to remain in the Super League.
Nidzam admitted that winds of change are slowly sweeping through the Felda management but declined to comment on the matter.
It is rumoured that Felda are facing a management crisis and it remains unclear if they will field a team next season or continue playing at the Jengka Stadium.
Terengganu netted through Dominique da Sylva (fifth minute), Sanjar Shaakhmedov (38th) and Lee Tuck (65th).
Meanwhile, Selangor recorded their biggest win since 2012 by thrashing Police 7-0 in Cheras.
Ifedayo Omosuyi (19th and 74th), Sean Selvaraj (26th and 33rd), Brendan Gan (69th), Safuwan Baharudin (80th) and Rufino Segovia (83rd) were the scorers.
Selangor caretaker coach Michael Feichtenbeiner praised Sean for scoring a brace.
“Today, he did well. He used his pace and opened up options for his teammates. However, I am concerned about my team’s concentration.
“They tend to lose it for about 15 minutes after the break. I need to work on that,” he said.
Selangor still have an outside chance of finishing third if they beat Felda in their final game.
In Kuantan, Perak bounced back from 0-3 down to force a 3-3 draw against Pahang.
The Elephants took a 3-0 lead through R. Dinesh (eighth), Nik Sharif Haseefy (27th) and Ivan Carlos (41st).
However, J. Partiban (48th and 90th) and Shahrel Fikri Fauzi hit back for Perak to force a draw.
“We were in a sleeping mode in the first half. However, my pep-talk in the dressing room during half-time motivated the players to perform better in the second half.
“They changed their game and pushed for goals,” said Perak coach Mehmet Durakovic.