JUST as Uruguay’s Luis Suarez showed how having a quality striker can change the fortunes of a team, so will Paulo Rangel attempt to steer Selangor to Super League glory when he returns from suspension today.
Selangor struggled badly in the absence of their Brazilian top scorer in the last two matches, losing to Armed Forces and Kelantan without scoring a goal.
That saw Selangor hand the title initiative to Darul Ta’zim, who could go four points clear if they beat Kelantan late yesterday ahead of Selangor’s match against Sarawak in Shah Alam today.
Selangor coach Mehmet Durakovic is a relieved man as he welcomes Rangel, the scorer of 20 of Selangor’s 34 goals in all competitions, back to boost their title bid after losing three of their last four matches.
“Rangel has been fantastic for us this season. Every team in every league needs a top quality striker like him,” said Durakovic yesterday.
“You saw what Suarez did for Uruguay (scoring twice in a 2-1 win over England at the World Cup). You can count on your local and foreign players but you still need a top quality striker.
“Look what Luciano (Figueroa) and (Jorge Pereira) Diaz have done for Darul Ta’zim. It is very important you have good strikers.”
With bottom-side PKNS to play on Wednesday as well, Durakovic is confident they can win both games at Shah Alam but must hope Darul Ta’zim slip up against Kelantan or Sarawak away in Kuching on the final day. By Devinder Singh
