Just A Few Things: Petaling Jaya City Vs. Kuala Lumpur City

It’s That Old Tale

Yes, we know it’s clichè: A tale of two halves. But how else would you describe the match as it was? The first half was absolutely a slog to watch through with neither side giving either keeper much work to do. Not only that, there was a severe lack of quality by either side whenever they had possession. To give you an indication on how that half went, KL City defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco’s header via a corner where he should’ve scored was the only shot inside the box from either side while the rest of the shots came from way outside the box. The first half had the pace of a friendly match.

When the 2nd half began though, it was as eventful as a festival. All the goals came in this half and there’s even a red card to boot after Nik Shahrul Azim was given a second yellow for fouling a certain substitute striker (Who we will go into later). KL had to apply a considerable low block to protect their lead so PJ City eventually had most of the control to find that equalizer and they capped off the entertaining half with a late, late equalizer. I mean, which neutral wouldn’t love a last-minute goal that turns the scoreline upside down? This half did enough to wash away the bitterness we’ve witnessed of the first half. And given what went down, PJ City would surely be the more happier team with the point than KL City.

Slow & Fast

Given how KL had scored their two goals, it’s puzzling why they didn’t play the first 45 minutes like how they scored. KL was way too slow with their possession that allowed PJ City to recover and have the chance to dispossess and win the ball back. So KL can consider themselves fortunate they weren’t punished for their sluggish tempo due to PJ City’s lack of quality that time (Though the same can be said for PJ City since KL weren’t fast enough to get it forward).

When the 2nd half came, KL were much more swift in their attacks and that was enough to actually give PJ City a proper goal. While they can count themselves rather unlucky they conceded due to an own goal, KL responded well immediately. Paulo Josue started the play with a 1-2 as he continued to run into the box before he finished superbly with a low shot for the equalizer.

Just five minutes later, Hadin Azman scored a brilliant strike just outside the box to put KL ahead. But their momentum screeched to a halt when they were down to 10-men following Nik Shahrul’s red card. But that 15-minute spell showed they can play a higher tempo well, so why didn't they do so in the first half? That is perhaps only what head coach Bojan Hodak knows. It’s too bad they couldn’t hold on to the win in the end.

Midfielders Up Front

PJ City & KL City are missing their top-notch strikers for this match, and their missing presence perhaps are sorely felt. Darren Lok (PJ City) & Dominique Da Sylva have proven to be the ones their respective teams usually rely on for goals. But with them missing, both sides have to tweak on how they set-up their attack. And the decisions each head coach made to fill that offensive void is head-scratching to say the least given that both sides have other viable options to start.

KL City deployed versatile midfielder Romel Morales to be their main man up front despite having Safee Sali at their disposal. Morales looked out of place being the sole forward. Playing him up front and more advanced looked like it wasn’t working in the first half. In the 2nd half though, the decision paid off. Morales assisted both the goals as KL showed the fluidity needed to break through the defence. First by being part of the 1-2 setup to Paulo Josue for the equalizer and then teeing up Hadin for the second goal.

As for PJ City, they deployed either Mahali Jasuli or Sunil Chandran as the centre-forward and neither of them didn’t garner much impact. So it wasn’t a surprise when they pulled a triple substitution in the 58th minutes when they finally put a proper centre-forward on the pitch. Just by being part of one crucial event of the match showed why that centre-forward should’ve been starting in the first place.

Kogi Makes His Case

It was baffling that despite having Kogileswaran Raj who surely is a proper replacement for Darren Lok in case something happens to him, PJ City head coach P. Maniam opted to use other players at his disposal. Eventually Kogi was brought on to replace Mahali who was largely ineffective (Save for the cross that led to Irfan Zakaria’s own goal) as a makeshift centre forward while Sunil had a labored night.

Kogi ended the night with three shots on goal, more than any of his teammates. And his third and final shot of the match was the most important of them all in the 94th minute. Playing off the last defender just inside the box, Kogi got into a great position to receive Tamil Maran’s defence breaking through pass on the right side of the box. Being in a great position, Kogi proceeded to score a spectacular smackdown into the far post past a despairing Kevin Ray Mendoza who tried to save it in vain. Cue the celebrations by PJ City, especially from P. Maniam who celebrated the most. Perhaps it’s a lesson learned for Maniam after that equalizer: Start Kogi if Darren is missing.

THIS ARTICLE IS POWERED BY CYBERLYNX INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE: EDUCATION FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM