BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
The second round of the 2017 Malaysia Cup were played on Friday and Saturday, with only two teams maintaining their perfect records.
GROUP A
Dark horse and debutants PKNP FC continued their sterling run in the cup, after the Premier League side recorded a 1-1 away draw against favourites Pahang at the Darulmakmur Stadium on Friday. The hosts were made to wait until the 52nd minute to open the scoring through Matheus Alves' goal, but in the 81st minute Afif Amiruddin put the ball into his own net and gifted the visitors the equaliser.
Photos from the Pahang-PKNP match
On the same night, Premier League leaders Negeri Sembilan were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw at home by Super League club T-Team FC. The hosts found themselves comfortably leading the match at the end of the first half through goals by Bruno Suzuki (4') and Jonathan Behe (24'), but lost the lead through Annas Rahmat's 54th minute own goal and Fakrurazi Musa's 75th minute half-volley. The Deers must have thought that they have come away with the all three points when Farderin Kadir restored their lead in the 84th minute, but the Titans were awarded a penalty deep in injury time, which Dilshod Sharofetdinov converted.
Negeri Sembilan vs T-Team match highlights
After two rounds, PKNP now lead with four points, followed by Negeri Sembilan (2), Pahang (2) and T-Team (1).
GROUP B
Perak continued their supremacy by defeating Kuala Lumpur 3-0 in Selayang. Read our report here.
Photos from the Perak-Kuala Lumpur match
Felda United recorded their first win in the competition, after they defeated PKNS FC 2-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium. Zah Rahan Krangar only needed five minutes to give the visitors the lead, but the hosts equalised late in the added time of the first half through Patrick Wleh's header. The Fighters however ensured the all three points in the final minutes of the match, when Thiago Augusto latched on to Krangar's through pass to score the winner.
PKNS-Felda United match highlights
Perak are first with six points, Felda second with four, Kuala Lumpur third with one, while PKNS are bottom with no points.
Group C
Defending champions Kedah maintained their 100% record in the cup, when they trashed UiTM FC 5-0. In the match which was held at the UiTM Stadium, Syafiq Ahmad opened the scoring as early as the third minute, before Liridon Krasniqi (44'), Ken Ilso Larsen (80'), Sandro da Silva (90') and a Faiz Bandong own goal (90+3') compounded the university boys' misery.
UiTM-Kedah match highlights
Melaka United meanwhile halted their 11-match winless streak, a record that stretched all the way from February 21, with a 3-0 win home win over Kelantan. Marco Simic opened the scoring in the 21st minute after goalkeeper Ramadhan Hamid's gaffe, and Surendran Ravindran doubled their lead at the stroke of halftime through a beautiful curler from inside the Kelantan penalty box. Fauzi Roslan then dashed any hopes of a comeback from the visitors just five minutes into the second half with his goal.
Coincidentally, the Mousedeers' last win was recorded also against the Red Warriors, a 2-0 away win in the Super League.
Melaka United vs Kelantan match highlights
Kedah are first with six points, followed by Melaka (3), Kelantan (3) and UiTM (0).
GROUP D
Super League leaders Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), who fielded their second team, were held to a goalless away draw by Terengganu. Read our report here.
Terengganu-JDT match highlights
2016 finalists and 33-time champions Selangor found their first win in the competition, defeating Sarawak 2-1 in Kuching. Forkey Doe opened the scoring for the visitors in the 39th minute, before the lead was doubled through Dzulazlan Ibrahim's 64th-minute own goal. Shreen Tambi pulled one back for the Crocodiles in the 82nd minute, but they could not find the much-needed equaliser before the final whistle was blown.
Selangor-Sarawak match highlights
JDT lead the group with four points, followed by Selangor (4), Terengganu (2) and Sarawak (0).
Matchday 3 will be held on July 18.
