KUALA LUMPUR: Negri Sembilan crushed 10-man Police 5-0, while KL City suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Kelantan The Real Warriors (KTRW) in the FA Cup round of 16 first leg matches on Monday.
At the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, Jovan Motika and Joseph Esso bagged a brace each as Negri effectively sealed the contest. Motika, a former KL City midfielder, opened the scoring in the third minute before Police’s night took a disastrous turn when Noel Agbre was sent off in the ninth minute for fouling Esso outside the box.
Motika doubled the lead in the 40th minute, timing his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, before Esso made it 3-0 just before the break.
Police goalkeeper Ifwat Akmal Chek Kassim endured a torrid first half and was replaced by Fahmi Ikhwan Azmi at the interval. Fahmi managed to produce a couple of saves but could not prevent further damage as substitute Mio Tsuneyasu struck in the 75th minute.
Four minutes later, Esso completed his brace to wrap up Negri’s emphatic victory, leaving Police with a mountain to climb in the return leg.
In Kota Bahru, KL City’s hopes of returning to the FA Cup final took a severe dent as they fell 3-1 to KTRW. Nigerian striker Ifedayo Omosuyi gave the hosts a dream start with a fourth-minute opener and doubled his tally in the 14th minute to put KTRW firmly in control.
Sean Selvaraj made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute before KL City pulled one back through Syamer Kutty Abba in the 86th. The City Boys were handed a lifeline when Ryan Lambert was fouled by Wan Amirul Afiq Wan Rahman inside the box in stoppage time, with VAR awarding a penalty to the visitors. However, Safawi Rasid failed to convert from the spot.
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