MHL : E&Y and Sapura in final

Ernst and Young and Sapura needed extra time in their semi-final second-leg matches yesterday to secure place in the final of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Both teams held advantages from the first leg matches on Friday but their opponents hit back to level the aggregate score at full time of the return matches.

Ernst and Young, who beat Maybank 2-1 in the first leg, allowed Maybank to level the aggregate score in the 40th minute, conceding a penalty corner goal to Hairul Nizam. But the Division One champions scored the golden goal in the 76th minute though Baljit Singh to put them through to the finals 3-2 on aggregate.



Sapura led Tenaga 3-1 from the first leg but allowed the defending champions to level the aggregate at 4-4. The golden goal that took Sapura into the final came off a 75th minute penalty corner strike from Jiwa Mohan.

The final between Ernst and Young and Sapura will be played on Dec 27 at the KL Hockey Stadium.

Maybank coach S. Vellapan was disappointed over at not getting the desired result after having taken the fight to the Ernst and Young.

“The players did well to keep them in check and we could have taken the game had we had better finishing,” he said after the match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

“It was good game and the players deserve credit for not allowing their more experienced opponents intimidate them. It was good all-around effort and we are proud of the players.”

At the KL Hockey Stadium, Tenaga came out with their gun blazing and they levelled the aggregate score just 10 minutes into the match.

Mohamed Amin Rahim scored in the fifth minute off a penalty corner and S. Selvaraju added the second in the ninth minute off a field attempt. Sapura regained the lead through S. Kuhan in the 19th minute but Amin took the match into extra time with a 66th minute goal.

Sapura could have wrapped up the game in the 48th minute when they had a penalty stroke awarded for an infringement but S. Shanker blew it with a weak flick, which goalkeeper S. Kumar had no problem saving it.

Sapura finally prevailed with a 75th minute goal from their senior player, Jiwa, to take them into the final 5-4 on aggregate.