Just A Few Things: Penang Vs. Johor Darul Takzim

Long Way To Go

It was only just a week ago Penang was in an improbable yet amazing position to actually mount a title challenge. They were just two points behind Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) heading into their match into Kuala Lumpur, only for them to falter 3-1 at Cheras. And now they find themselves further behind following a 3-0 defeat at home to JDT. JDT controlled the entire first half, to the point where Penang had NO shots at all during that period. Even when Penang finally got control, it was too late then. JDT was already 3-0 up within the hour mark when the Panthers got a firm hold of possession.

It’s two losses in the bounce as Penang brutally crashes back down to earth, now finding themselves eight points behind JDT, perhaps putting an end to any talk of mounting an improbable title challenge. Even so, it has been an encouraging season so far for the Panthers but if they truly do want to go to the top from next season onwards, they still have a lot of work to do.

Familiar Faces Firing

We saw some old yet familiar faces help to provide for the somewhat younger and new, who we’re also used to seeing firing for the Southern Tigers nowadays. S. Kunanlan replaced Matt Davies at right-back while legendary midfielder Safiq Rahim was given his first start since his return as he filled in for the absent Leandro Velazquez to provide the creativity to break through the defence.

And that was what exactly Safiq did. He delivered a beautiful long ball from deep to find Safawi, who made a perfect run and scored in the one-on-one situation by squeezing the ball past Penang keeper Bryan See for the lead. It was a much-needed goal too for Safawi since his return, so it was a huge morale booster for the winger who was coasting lately.

Next, it was Kunanlan’s turn to provide. Weirdly, it didn’t come from a cross but rather from a through-pass. The right-back found Bergson by the half-space. The Brazilian hotshot then superbly turned to shrug off his marker and shoots perfectly into the near post to double the lead. It was as if we went back in time to a few years ago when we saw the pair providing as they did back then.

I Like To Move It, Move It

Early on, Penang tried to keep a disciplined defence shape to try and frustrate JDT, who already had faced a number of teams deploying this tactic in recent weeks. This time though, JDT had a plan to create chaos: Make various swift off-the-ball movements. It was clear that whenever someone does make the run, Penang’s defensive shape was all over the place.

There were times when some Penang players abandon their position to follow the runs, but in the process, would open up space for another player to take advantage while there were other times someone would make a run off the last defender for someone to pick out from. That was how Safawi scored the opener to run past Penang left-back Azmi Muslim, who had struggled to contain the winger while Mohamadou Sumareh reacted quickly to put JDT three up by the 51st minute by scoring the rebound, following being in a great position to pounce on it. This was a better JDT performance as they looked so much more energetic compared to their last three matches.

Seeing Red In More Than One Way

By the time Penang finally gained control, they were already facing a huge mountain to climb. And yet, they refuse to lie down. Sherridin Boboev fired a warning shot when his low curler from the right hit the far post. However, Penang didn’t look like they were going to get anything other than that effort. Then they thought they did when Casagrande scored a towering header from Endrick’s corner on 78 minutes. But the referee disallowed it much to the anger of every Penangite in the stadium.

On first look, you would understand why Penang was seething as Casagrande headed the ball cleanly. But replays showed Boboev was the one at fault when he needlessly went and block JDT keeper Farizal Marlias from getting to the ball as it was clear Casagrande will always get to it. But the Penang players were unaware of what really happened. So, they continued to protest the decision which resulted in Casagrande getting himself booked moments later for dissent.

It was actually relatively quiet until that disallowed goal as the frustration lingers within Penang. Already down and out, it got worse for the home side. Before injury time during a stoppage of play to tend to JDT defender Mauricio Dos Santos’ injury, Casagrande perhaps said something the referee didn’t take too kindly and was given a second yellow card and as a result given his marching orders.

Penang’s misery was further compounded moments later. Head coach Thomas Trucha was also given a red card for venting his fury with the referee’s performance a little too much. Not only Penang lost this match and lost ground to the top three, but they will also go into the July restart without their top striker and their head coach not being on the touchline.

Just keep in mind that even before all of this erupted, JDT looked mostly comfortable. Even so, if that goal had been allowed, there’s no denying the possibility Penang could’ve attempted a comeback by building on to that momentum.

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