Azraai Rediscovers His Midas Touch To Steer Kelantan Into Cup Final

17 Mei, 2015



PETALING JAYA: Kelantan coach Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah has rediscovered his Midas touch.

The former international steered the Red Warriors to the FA Cup final after edging Pahang 3-2 on aggregate following a 3-1 win in the FA Cup semi-final second leg at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium on Saturday.

Kelantan were trailing 1-0 from the first leg last Tuesday. And they were staring at the exit after Pahang got their crucial away goal from R. Gopinathan’s equaliser in the 58th minute after Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria put Kelantan ahead in the 17th minute.

But substitute striker Austin Amutu came to the Warriors’ rescue, scoring a brace in the 75th and 90th minutes to record a dramatic win.

Azraai said he was happy to help Kelantan reach the FA Cup final for the third time in four years.

“Making it to the final gives me a big satisfaction, but we’ve to remember the job is not done yet ... we now need to win the final,” said Azraai who replaced Dutchman George Boateng in April.

Azraai is now eager to end his title drought. He was successful in his stints with Kedah (2004-2008) and Negri Sembilan (2011-2012), but he ended his last two seasons with Perak (2012-2013) and T-Team (2013-2014) empty-handed.

“My last two season had been poor, so I’m looking for success. When I took over Kelantan, we were on a decline after a loss of confidence. I kept motivating the players. Now they’ve recovered their touch as well as their hunger for trophies,” said Azraai.

Kelantan will now attempt to win their third FA Cup when they take on Lions XII in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.

Commenting on Saturday’s match, Azraai credited the comeback win to their meticulous preparations after losing the first leg.

“We got our tactics spot-on for the second leg and the players managed to execute the game plan to perfection. We focused on improving the players’ fitness,” said Azraai.

“The players were confident of making a comeback at home because we were just trailing by a goal. I watched Pahang’s midweek AFC Cup match against Global FC and I knew they would be tired towards the end of the match.

“I was confident of my players taking advantage of the situation. We got an early goal to get a foothold in the game and, as I predicted, we got a late winner in the match,” added Azraai.

Sumber - K. Rajan, Star Online www.thestar.com.my