Armed Forces qualified for the final of the Raja Noora
Ashikin Cup after they edged KL Sukma 2-1 in the semi final at the Seremban 2
Hockey Stadium.
And Malacca created an upset by defeating Terengganu
2-0 in the second semifinal.
Malacca, represented by 11 players from the Bandar
Penawar Sports School netted their goals via Nuraslinda Said ( 56th
minute) and Siti Nor Aliah Amnuruddin (59th minute) and will fancy
their chances against and ageing Armed Forces side.
Terengganu netted a consolation in the 70th minute through Nurul Najihah Farhani Rashid who converted a penalty corner.
Though they lost, credit must go to KL who matched their more experienced opponents for long spell of the match.
It was only due to their unability to convert the
chances and poor marking in the closing stages that led to their downfall.
“The players did their best and went down fighting.
What more can I ask of them? At times I felt that my youngsters gave the
opponents too much respect, but that is something they need to overcome,” said
KL coach Rizal Razman.
“Defeat is always a bitter pill to swallow but I hope
that the players will learn from the mistakes and put up a better show in Kuantan
for the Sukma next month.”
It was KL that took the lead in the 20th
minute when a pass from Nur Farah Shahira was turned into goal by a lurking
Hernie Japlee at the far post.
But national player Juliani Mohamma Din converted a
penalty corner in the 22nd minute to put Armed Forces on level
terms.
The winning goal came in the 64th minute
via Izzuin Ismail who turned in a cross from Nadia Mokhtar to put Armed Forces
into their second succesive final. They lost to Pahang 2-1 in last years final
and have yet to win the RNA Cup.
“It was indeed a harrowing experience as our performance
was not up to the mark. We were fortunate to win and really were poor in
several aspects,” said Armed Forces manager Azlan Shah Aziz.
“If this is the form we carry into the final tomorrow
then we will be in heaps of trouble. vWe have an experienced side but are not
playing to their potential.”
Armed Forces will take on the winner of the Terengganu
v Malacca match that will be played at 7.00pm.
Semi Finals Results
Armed Forces 2 KL Sukma 1
Terengganu 1 Malacca 2
Fixtures ( Tuesday)
3/4th Placing
3.30pm - KL Sukma v Terengganu
5.00pm – Armed Forces v Malacca
