Vital player: Injured Brazilian striker Rodrigo Dias was sorely missed by Penang in the 1-0 loss to Kedah during the FA Cup quarter-final match. – Penang FC
PETALING JAYA: The absence of Brazilian top striker Rodrigo Dias was painfully felt by Penang in the FA Cup first leg quarter-finals against Kedah.
The Panthers were toothless as they lost 0-1 to the Canaries at the City Stadium in Georgetown on Friday.
The northern state did justice by creating many chances but there were no one like Dias to finish off in style and as a result they were left disappointed in front of their fans.
Penang will now be hoping for Dias to return when they clash against Kedah in the second leg at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar on Friday.
Dias did not score in the first two Super League games against Sabah (0-0) and Terengganu (0-0) but broke the duck in their 1-1 draw against Police.
But after the Police match, he was down with a hamstring injury and has not featured in one league game and the FA Cup match.
Penang’s winger Al-Hafiz Harun admits that the team are missing the 30-year-old Brazilian.
“We are feeling it, for sure. He is our top striker. We have no other choice but to play other players in his position, so that is why you see Nabil Latpi playing there even though he is a winger like me,” said the 30-year-old Al-Hafiz.
“But his absence is not an excuse for how we are performing.
“We have been playing well, our football is good but the finishing has to be better, which we will rectify before heading to Alor Setar.
“We lost 0-1, not 0-4 or 0-5. We still have a chance and we will do our best to get to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.”
Penang are also looking to break their winless hoodoo in the domestic scene.
The Island team have drawn three league games and lost one, and in the FA Cup, they entered the quarter-finals, after beating Pahang 4-3 in a penalty shootout after holding each other out 1-1 in regulation time.
“The winless run is in our heads a little. We have only had draws and defeats in 90 minutes. But it is not breaking our spirits and we believe we will end it in the second-leg.”
Al-Hafiz also has a personal goal of his own.
“It will be nice to beat my ex-employers. I played for Kedah from 2022 to 2023, so it will be nice to beat them in Alor Setar. I am craving for a victory.
“It would be perfect if I score against them too. I’m dreaming for it to happen.”
The last time Penang qualified for the FA Cup semi-finals was in 2022 but they lost 1-6 to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
