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SHAH ALAM: Perak ended their 18-year wait to lift their eighth Malaysia Cup trophy after a pulsating final.
The Seladang team edged Terengganu 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out after the drama-laden match ended 3-3 after extra time.
Both teams were reduced to playing with 10 men at the Shah Alam Stadium.
Perak goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy was the hero for the Silver State as he made two saves in the penalty shoot-out.
Earlier Terengganu had taken the lead through skipper Kipre Tchetche’s first half brace in the 1st and 42nd minute.
Tchetche pounced on Perak’s two defensive errors from defender Mohd Idris Ahmad and custodian Hafizul to give his side the 2-0 lead in the first half.
But Perak recovered, turning on the heat in the second half with a goal from Muhammad Firdaus Sayadi in the 46th minute.
Firdaus struck inside the box after receiving a through ball from Brendan Gan.
And then the match turned ugly.
A scuffle broke out after Firdaus went in with a studs up challenge on Zonjic, prompting the Serbian defender to push Firdaus in the back of the neck.
The situation got worse with both set of players getting involved in the fracas, with some even throwing punches.
Referee Suresh Jayaraman struggled to control the situation and flashed the yellow card to Igor and a second yellow to Perak’s Gilmar Filho in the 57th minute after consulting the assistant referees.
The decision prompted Perak fans to show their displeasure by throwing water bottles from the stands onto the pitch.
Incensed with the sending off, Gilmar and the Perak players harangued Suresh before the Brazilian stormed off the pitch, kicking water bottles on the way.
Nine minutes later it was Terengganu’s turn to be reduced to 10-men after Lee Tuck picked up his second booking for a rough challenge in the 66th minute.
Perak were the dominant side in the final 20 minutes and Terengganu found themselves in trouble as Tchetche picked up an injury and was subsituted in the 78th minute, making them lose their bite upfront.
Sensing blood, Perak tightened the screws and got their equaliser in the 90th minute after Brendan rifled a shot inside the box to equalise.
The match then went into extra time after five minutes of added time.
Terengganu restored their lead after Mohd Faiz rifled in a shot from the edge of the box in the 96th minute after a counter-attack move.
The players were tiring and the pitch was slippery but the roller coaster of emotions was not done yet.
There was more last gasp drama when Zonjic accidentally turned a cross into his own goal to draw the match at 3 – 3 in the very final minute of the match.
This ended the match at 3-3 and forced the penalty shoot-out.
With luck, and perhaps the psychological momentum of two comebacks on their side, Perak went on to seal victory, scoring 4 -1 on penalties.
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