PETALING JAYA: Luiz Fernando Welter has the unenviable task of making sure Kuching City can extend or keep their quarter-final aggregate lead – and qualify for their first ever FA Cup semi-final.
The Sarawakian side’s best finish in the FA Cup before this was only a quarter-final outing in 2022. Last year, they were booted out in the second round but have a last-eight place again this year and will want to go further.
It’s not impossible as they already have 2-1 first-leg lead over giants Selangor and just need to hold on to it in the second-leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium today.
They will need Welter, better known as Nando Welter, at his steely best tonight.
The 21-year-old has been a huge asset for Kuching City in midfield and impressed with his defensive work rate and stellar passing.
He did not feature in the first three games of the league but after the international break, the defensive midfielder has been an important part of the team.
He has thank his agent, Sandro Mendonca, who is no stranger to Malaysian football, having played for Kedah and Selangor in the past.
Welter had earlier undergone trials in Malaysia, with one rumoured to be with Penang, but the youngster decided to kick off his Malaysian journey in Borneo.
“It’s been challenging, I’m trying to find my space here but always I play for a win. I’m very confident and I need to say thank you to Sandro too,” said Welter, who spoke in his native language Portuguese.
“For the second-leg, I can say the coach (Aidil Sharin) has been very good for our motivation, he gave us a lot of confidence and the group is very good so we came here only to win and give this semi-final for Sarawak football.”
Aidil has told his charges to forget the first-leg win and see this game as a new one.
“Both sides know the chance is there. In football, everything starts from 0-0. We cannot be banking on what happened in the previous leg. We need to have the mentality that we are starting from scratch.
“We are heading to Petaling Jaya thinking of a win, not defending.
“We know how Selangor fans are and what atmosphere they can create, so we have to work even harder than the previous game.
“They have five to six players who are good in attack. They can score. It is a challenge, so we have to be really disciplined when defending.
“We must not concede in the first-half and whatever chances that come, we have to take them.”
Aidil also hopes that midfielder Daniel Amier Norhisham and Petrus Shitembi will be available for selection, as they are currently 50-50 in terms of their match fitness.
