Just A Few Things: Selangor Vs. Kedah
Credit: Malaysian Football League
Selamat Datang Ke Selangor, Ifedayo!
What a way to mark your maiden start for your new team. Selangor was crying out for more attacking depth. In come Ifedayo Olusegun and the Nigerian forward duly delivered with fierce impact. Thrust into the focal point of Selangor’s attacks with Sean Eugene Selvaraj suspended, Ifedayo looked comfortable and was able to keep up with the style of football Selangor was playing.
Ifedayo got the ball rolling when he met a free-kick with a header where Kedah keeper, Ifwat Akmal could not react in time to stop it. The second goal must’ve been fate playing its part. Under no real pressure, Ifwat astoundingly misjudged a bouncing ball as it just went over his hands. To his horror, Ifedayo was lurking behind him and made no mistake scoring to an open net.
Just as Kedah was gaining traction, Ifedayo combined with captain, K. Sarkunan with good chemistry on the counter started by Sandro Mendonca via an exchange of passes. It ended with Sarkunan passing to Ifedayo who again had an open net to score.
There could’ve been a fourth goal had the linesman’s flag not deemed him offside. But Ifedayo made the strongest first impression that any debutant would dream of. Selangor fans, there’s a new hero in town!
Two Ways
Kedah could not keep up with Selangor’s intricate passing football. Almost every one of the Red Giants passes looked neat and tidy and every player was in the precise position at the right moment. They worked their way to the box well and played on the overlap by the wings with skill. So it was a shame that some of these movements were not finished off properly.
While Kedah did gain control eventually sometime during the second half, they have to be careful as Ifedayo’s third goal proved. Selangor can be deadly on the counter. Something Kedah tried in the first half and yielded no fruit. Selangor didn’t mind attacking on the break, but considering they still have some defensive issues to fix, surely they prefer to go at it using the first method.
Ones For The Future
Going 3-0 down, Kedah head coach Aidil Sharin quickly made changes. He bought on youngsters Fayadh Zulkifli & Fadzrul Danel for Zaquan Adha & Amirul Hisyam. The impact was almost instantaneous. The midfield look devoid of ideas and flimsy before the changes happened. When Fadzrul was bought in, the midfield finally look stabilized. Fadzrul’s presence bought a cool head around the centre of the park and got the ball forward to their creative players.
Speaking of creativity, Fayadh Zulkifli provided much more incision with his runs and dribbling. The Selangor defence looked nervous when it became apparent that he was going to cause all sorts of problems. He was immense in his 30-minute cameo, mesmerizing everyone in the Shah Alam Stadium. So, he will feel extremely disappointed that he hit the crossbar not once but twice after a great show of talent.
Both these players have repaid Aidil’s faith, although Kedah were unable to turn things around despite Jonathan Bauman pulling one back. Their performances will surely give the Singaporean something to think about in the future, especially Fayadh.
Wasteful Chances
Kedah really should’ve scored at least one more. Coupling with Fayadh hitting the bar two times, there were a number of chances they should’ve buried. Bauman can be forgiven for having perhaps one of those days after scoring from Baddrol Bakhtiar’s corner just inside the hour mark, but could’ve scored a second later in the half. He controlled an aerial ball nicely and created space for himself for a clear sight on goal, only to shoot straight at Selangor keeper, Farizal Harun.
Fernando Rodriguez was also guilty of squandering a similar chance. Taking advantage of a defender’s slip, all Rodriguez had to do was to get it on-target. But like Bauman, somehow he shot straight at an incoming Farizal when a striker like him really should’ve buried it.
Farhan Roslan and Zaquan Adha also both spurned great chances to score Kedah’s first much earlier in the second half. Zaquan couldn’t guide a through ball into the near post on the left minutes after the restart. Then, Farhan received a loose ball and had space to guide it on-target. But he rushed it a little and the low shot went wide of the far post.
Selangor to be honest rode their luck a little, and their luck remained somewhat intact after getting through an end-to-end second half. Kedah were left to lament what might have been had they taken those opportunities.