Fauzi puts Penang in the semis

Penang advanced to the semi-finals of the national Under-21 tournament with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kelantan in a Group A match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

And they had to wait until the 66th minute to break the deadlock with a goal by Mohd Fauzi Abdul Rahim.

The match was marred by questionable decisions made by the umpires. K. Ravichandran awarded Kelantan a penalty corner goal in the 50th minute but reversed the decision. And Inderjit Singh awarded Penang the goal even though the ball had hit Fauzi’s foot in the D before he hit it.

Kelantan skipper Mohd Firdaus Othman and team-mate Mohd Amir Samsukhidir vented their anger at Inderjit after the match. But the duo were let off the hook with a warning by the technical committee.

The win gave Penang the top spot in the group and they play against Group B runners-up Terengganu in the semi-finals. Terengganu edged Selangor 3-2 to advance.

Mohd Ismat Imadi (30th, 37th) and Mohd Firham Ashari (64th) scored for Terengganu while Selangor got their goals through Mohd Aidil Zulfadhli ((20th) and Mohd Zulfadli Mohd Isa (57th).

Kelantan coach Hamzi Shaari said that they were robbed of victory by poor umpiring.

“Mohd Kamil (Yaakob) sounded the board off a penalty corner and the umpire blew for goal but changed his decision after discussing with the other umpire. It was a clean goal,” he said.

“What made it more frustrating for us was the umpire’s decision to award Penang the goal even though the ball hit the player’s foot. We are disappointed with the standard of umpiring in the tournament.”

Negri Sembilan made it to the semi-finals from Group A despite a 2-3 defeat by Kedah. They will play against Group B winners Malacca today for a place in the final.

Negri took the lead through G. Kavin Kartik in the 12th minute. But Kedah fought back to lead 3-1 with goals by Mohd Adam Hushaini (15th), Asrul Azrin Omar (38th) and Mohd Azuan Maiden (43rd).

Negri reduced the deficit with a goal by Johari Abdul Latif in the 64th minute.

Negri coach S. Chandran said that their target was to reach the semi-finals and anything beyond that was a bonus.

“We don’t have any star players in the team and we rely on teamwork to reach the semi-finals. Malacca will start as favourites as they have a few Razak Cup players in their ranks. However, we will come out with a game plan to give them a run for their money,” he said.

Sukma defending champions Kuala Lumpur lost out on a place in the semi-finals to Terengganu when they could only manage a 3-3 draw against Malacca