PETALING JAYA: Pahang striker Kpah Sherman will remember his 33rd birthday for a long time.
Liberian Sherman experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotion as he turned hero on the eve of his birthday on Sunday when he scored the winner to lead Pahang into the Malaysia Cup final.
He however will not get to see action in the final against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in April because he has to serve his suspension after picking up his second yellow card during the game.
Captain Sherman however savoured the victory at the Temerloh Stadium. He pointed to the crowd after scoring the goal and said, “We are going to Bukit Jalil.”
He netted the winner in the 106th minute to help the Elephants qualify for the Malaysia Cup final after 11 years by beating Sabah 2-1 in the second leg semi-finals, to seal the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
He received a pass from substitute midfielder David Rowley and then controlled the ball while being tightly marked by Sabah’s burly South Korean centreback Park Tae-su, but he wiggled off the challenge and shot the ball past goalkeeper Damien Lim.
He could have pulled off a hattrick but missed two great chances in the second half but still it was a great birthday gift.
“Normally in some matches, when you miss one or two good chances, you would tell yourself that it is not your day but the game against Sabah was different,” said Sherman.
“It has turned out to be the perfect birthday gift for me and my loved ones. And I know how badly the Pahang fans wanted to watch their team play in Bukit Jalil, so I’m glad to fulfil that wish for them.
“It’s also nice to see three of my favourite teams win during my birthday celebration.
“First the (Los Angeles) Lakers beat New York (Knicks) 128-112 in the NBA. Then, Pahang got to the Malaysia Cup final and the icing on the cake was to see Arsenal thrashing Manchester City 5-1.
“This is a beautiful birthday blessed by God. I will never forget this,” he said.
He attributed his team’s perseverance for their win.
“After missing two good chances, I just told myself to keep fighting, whether the game ends in 90 or 120 minutes. The perseverance got us the goal,” he said.
“We won due to team effort – it’s from player No. 1 to 11! We gave our 100 per cent to achieve this moment.”
Pahang’s other goal in the second leg was an own goal from Tae-su in the 71st minute, while Sabah’s equaliser was scored by winger S. Kumaahran in the 77th minute. In the first leg, both sides drew 1-1 in Kota Kinabalu on Jan 17.
Sherman will miss the final after collecting his second yellow of the competition when he fouled Sabah centreback Dominic Tan in the 70th minute.
According to Malaysian Football League (MFL) rules, he will be suspended for the final but the club are planning to appeal the decision.
“If you look at the FIFA rules, all yellow cards based suspension will be cancelled if the team qualify for the final. This happens in all tournaments around the world,” said Sherman.
“As for my yellow card, I felt that it was soft touch because the guy was in my space and I could not do anything with my arms. The referee made his decision but our coach (Fandi Ahmad) said he would appeal and I hope it would be accepted.
“If the appeal is approved and I get to play in the final, I would be grateful to the MFL and my club.”
