KUALA LUMPUR: Chrigor Moraes scored a hat-trick as Selangor ran rampant to overcome their disappointing exit against Sabah from the FA Cup last week with a 5-1 win over Penang in the Super League at the City Stadium on Sunday.
In a match that was twice disrupted due to floodlight failure in the first half for which an extra 28 minutes were played, Selangor also netted through Faisal Halim and Picha Autra while Tchetche Kipre replied for Penang.
Selangor, who had just two wins in 10 matches in all competitions before Sunday, sit in fourth place in the standings on 19 points after 10 matches while Penang are second from bottom on five points.
“My players were really tired but showed great spirit,” said Selangor coach Christophe Gamel after the match.
“The disruptions helped me a bit to give the players instructions and the players reacted well.”
The Red Giants, who hosted Penang in the first match of the Malaya Cup in 1921 at the Selangor Club Padang, took the lead through Faisal, who was set up by Moraes in the 26th minute.
After another disruption in the 41st minute, Picha Autra increased Selangor’s lead with his first goal of the season after Faisal’s shot struck the crossbar and the ball rebounded to the Thai to slot in the fourth minute of added time in the first half.
Faisal then set up Moraes to net Selangor’s third goal six minutes later after converting a cross from the winger but Penang were handed a lifeline when Ivorian forward Kipre turned in OJ Porteria’s pass before half-time.
Moraes made it 4-1 in the 59th minute when a backpass by Stefano Brundo to his goalkeeper fell short, allowing the Brazilian to nip in and round Ramdhan Hamid.
The forward completed his second hat-trick of the season by outsprinting Brundo in the 75th minute, taking his tally in the Super League to nine goals.
“I don’t want to give any excuses for this defeat, simple mistakes made by my players. That killed our fighting spirit,” said Penang coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail after their seventh defeat in the Super League this season.
“I hope my players learn from these errors, we can’t make the same mistakes in the future. I’m reallly disappointed. I will make big changes after this game.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
