Kuching City FC salvage a draw with late penalty against Kedah

KUCHING : A point is shared between Kuching City FC and Kedah Darul Aman FC after a 1-1 draw at Stadium Darul Aman last night.

Kedah were the better team for the first 20 minutes after they kept knocking on Kuching City’s door.

Their captain, Sony Norde from the right wing crossed a ball to Ebenezer Assifuah only for his shot to go straight to the safe hands of Kuching’s Shahril Sa’ari.

A loose ball from Norde’s corner met Milos Gordic after the Serbian attempted an overhead kick which went wide in the 20th minute.

The Cats only began to threaten in the 27th minute after a cross from Pedro Henrique on the left wing met Nur Shamie Iszuan whose shot was blocked by Kedah’s Ariff Farhan.

The Canaries looked like they could take the lead before the break after a thunderous strike by Assifuah was saved by Shahril.

Aidil Sharin’s men nearly found themselves behind when Norde shot was deflected off Filemon Anyie’s leg and nearly found the back of the net.

Kedah were relentless on the attack after Mohamad Hasbullah Abu Bakar attempted a 40 yard screamer only to be parried away by Shahril for a corner before halftime.

Kedah’s persistence paid off just before halftime when a long ball from Habib Haroon breached the II Gatto’s defensive line, setting up Mohamad Hasbullah for a tap-in header that gave Kedah the lead.

The Cats were behind for most of the second half finding it difficult to secure a point, however the game took a dramatic turn in the closing minutes when Kedah’s Irfan Zakaria brought Kipre Tcheche down in the penalty box.

It was a late drama, a VAR check by the referee awarded Kuching a penalty. 

Ghanaian forward Jordan Mintah stepped up and made no mistake to score in the 90th minute.

Aidil was seen in the touchline pointing to the heavens after the final whistle was blown as the draw would seem as a win for The Cats.