PETALING JAYA: It was a night where the Turtles started slowly and fell behind the Deer, but showed character and passion to mount a steady fightback to march into the Malaysia Cup semi-finals.
Terengganu showed they were made of sterner stuff after allowing Negri Sembilan to take a 2-0 lead in their second leg quarter-final at the Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak on Saturday.
In the thick of the fray was centreback Shahrul Nizam Ros Hasni, who converted a penalty in the 94th minute to earn the host a 4-2 win and advance 6-2 on aggregate.
Shahrul also rallied his teammates to step up a gear when it seemed that Negri had taken command of the tie.
“For a centreback to score the winner in such a thrilling match is really satisfying. I want to thank my teammates for letting me take the spot-kick,” he said.
“We were really under pressure after Negri took a 2-0 lead, with the score 2-2 on aggregate. Their confidence was growing, but I managed to rally my teammates to bounce back strongly. The fans also did their part by cheering us on.’’
Terengganu other goals were scored by wingers Akhyar Rashid (41st minute), Safawi Rasid (50th) and wingback Azam Azmi Murad (81st).
Negri took the lead through wingers Hadin Azman (24th) and A. Selvan (34th).
Up next for Terengganu in the last four will be the all-conquering champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
Having passed a stern character test against Negri, Shahrul said they should be ready to enter the battle field against the best team in the country.
‘’Sooner or later, you will have to face a side like JDT having come this far. So we’ve got nothing to lose as they are the heavy favourites,’’ he added.
The first leg will be at the Sultan Mizan Stadium on Jan 17.
Before that, Terengganu also have a crucial AFF Club Championship Group A match against Myanmar club Shan United at the Thuwunna Stadium on Jan 8.
