Just A Few Things: UiTM Vs. PKNP

Credit: Malaysian Football League

One Winless Run Ends, The Other Continues

Both sides were heading into this match without celebrating a win in a long time. UiTM is winless in eight games while PKNP had a worse run with fifteen games winless. Ultimately, it’s the visitors from Perak that emerged deserving winners and ended their torrid run while further making UiTM’s season worse.

PKNP looked the brightest of the two and looked more likely to score. They made slick, decent movements and their passing, if they get it right, was great. While their two goals came from rather fortunate circumstances, it was nothing short of what PKNP deserved following a fine game of football.

Meanwhile, UiTM’s season is spiraling out of control. Given how they spectacularly collapsed in the Premier League title and then promotion race, it’s perhaps understandable that people won’t expect to see them putting a good fight, let alone getting out of their Malaysia Cup group with difficult opponents. Unless head coach Ismail Zakaria can weave magic, the sooner the season ends, the better for UiTM so that they can get all the time they need to reflect on where it went horribly wrong when it looked so good.

Flimsy Hold

UiTM’s lack of stability in the middle and up front was playing into PKNP’s hands. The home side not only does not have a commanding presence in midfield but they often lose possession as quickly as soon as they won it back. Not only that, because Park Yong-Jun and Maycon Calijuri was missing, they further lost their sharpness up front, especially missing Yong-Jun’s threatening runs. As a result, PKNP keeper Shafiq Afifi had a quiet night in goal.

It could’ve been so much different has Amer Azahar not spurned UiTM’s only 24-karat golden chance of the match with his low shot going agonizingly wide of the far post around the final 15 minutes and that miss was made worse because Zarko Korac was much freer and was begging for the ball to be cutback to him in the middle of the box. Other than that, PKNP looked comfortable at the back as the defence has an easy night.

Familiar Woes

With Nor Haziq Aris the other notable absentee in the matchday squad, Azam Jais is called upon to take his place. He had a somewhat easy time during the first half. Just before half-time though, Azam made a horrible error by coming out of his line and completely missed getting a punch on Hafiz Ramdan’s corner. Instead, the ball fell to Amani Aguilnado who smacked the ball in with power while Azam was caught in no man’s land.

UiTM FC probably just had a déjà vu. Because last month, Nor Haziq flapped at a corner that gifted the goal that helped sealed the Premier League title for Sabah and now this mistake by Azam. Something is not right with the UiTM keepers lately when it comes to corners and they have to sort it out once the season is over for them.

Giancarlo’s Shift

He may not be on the scoresheet on this night, but the embattled Brazilian striker, Giancarlo Rodrigues, put it in a fine shift throughout the 90 minutes. The tall striker made good use of his physique in keeping hold of the ball and also was all over the opponent’s half playing as the sole striker. As the sole striker, he has to play in deep to get the attacks going and that in turn would get the wingers to come in & help. And of course, winning the aerial battle and giving UiTM defender Benard Agele some work to do. Overall, a good influence up front.