‘A penalty miss that drained the Cats emotionally and physically’

KUALA LUMPUR: For 80 minutes, Kuching City did something few teams in Malaysian football have managed against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) this season, and that’s to stand toe-to-toe with the Southern Tigers in the Malaysia Cup final.

But for football critic Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli, one missed penalty did more than change the direction of last Saturday’s Malaysia Cup final at the TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil as it triggered a psychological collapse and a wave of accusations.

JDT eventually ran out 2-0 winners to seal yet another domestic trophy, but Pekan believes the scoreline failed to reflect how competitive the contest was for most of the night.

“For 80 minutes, I consider it one of the best Malaysia Cup finals,” he said.

“The game was balanced. JDT had more intensity and aggression, but tactically, Kuching City surprised many. Nobody expected them to match JDT the way they did.”

However, the turning point came when former JDT player Ramadhan Saifullah Usman failed to convert a second-half penalty that could have put The Cats ahead.

Pekan said the miss visibly drained the underdogs emotionally and physically.

“When the penalty was missed, they looked disappointed and lost direction after that,” he said.

“If they had scored, the match would have become even more intense because JDT would have had to chase the game. But after the miss, you could see the disappointment affecting them.”

He also pushed back against social media accusations suggesting Ramadhan had intentionally failed to score because of his ties to JDT, saying the criticism reflected a growing culture of emotional overreaction among football supporters.

“Before the penalty, nobody questioned his commitment or effort,” he said.

“But once he missed, all kinds of accusations appeared because he is a former JDT player.

“We cannot simply blame him entirely. The team management, coaches and senior players also have responsibility over who should take such an important penalty in a final.”

Pekan pointed to another issue that raised questions, which is the absence of Kuching City’s top scorer, Ronald Ngah Wanja, from the starting line-up.

He described the decision as “tactical and puzzling”, especially given the magnitude of the occasion.

“If Ngah was on the pitch, perhaps he would have been the most suitable player to take the penalty,” he said.

“That is the question many people are asking.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the penalty, Pekan praised the overall standard of officiating by the foreign referee from Qatar, appointed for the final, saying the match was handled calmly and without major controversy.

“I saw almost no controversial decisions,” he said.

“The referee focused only on officiating and was not influenced by sentiment or pressure. This is something our local referees can learn from.”

Pekan said the final should ultimately serve as encouragement for Kuching City, who proved they belonged on the same stage.

“They did not lose the entire game,” he said.

“They only lost the last 10 minutes.”

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times