KUANTAN: Johor surprised Perak 3-0 and reached the semi-finals of the IGP Cup Premier Division tournament at the Wisma Belia Stadium on Monday.
Placed at the bottom of the four-team Group A with just a single point to show after two matches, Johor dealt a severe blow to Perak’s hopes of qualifying.
Khairul Fazly Atal scored a brace (27th and 40th minutes) and Ahmad Husaifah Yunus added the third for Johor in the 33rd minute.
For the record, in the event of a draw in regulation time, two points are awarded to the winning team during penalties and one point to the losing side.
Perak was tipped to join the ranks of the ‘elite’ teams into the last four after gaining full points against Briged Tengah following a 1-0 win in penalties.
Defending champions Bukit Aman outclassed Briged Tengah 3-1 to go top of Group A with nine points while Johor climbed from fourth to second on four points, leaving Briged Tengah in third position and Perak at the bottom of the standings.
In the semi-finals, Bukit Aman will meet Selangor while Johor will face Group B champions Pulapol.
Pulapol crushed Pahang 13-0 and Selangor defeated Kuala Lumpur 4-2.
“I am totally surprised with our win over Perak. It was unexpected as we were at the bottom of the table,” said Johor team manager Insp K. Logeinthira.
“This is a morale booster to the players,” he added.
Results - Group A: Bukit Aman 3 Briged Tengah 1, Perak 0 Johor 3;
Group B: Pulapol 13 Pahang 0; Selangor 4 Kuala Lumpur 2.
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