Kuala Lumpur City FC’s proud undefeated record at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium finally fell on Wednesday night, losing 3-0 in a heated contest with against champions Johor DT with 10 men, bringing an end to a 23 match streak that began since the Challenge Cup in 2019.
The proud run that consisted 17 wins and 6 draws, survived 2 home fixtures in this new season, the 3-3 opening day draw with Selangor and the 8-0 thrashing of M3 (third division) side Langkawi C in the FA Cup first around three weeks back. However, it is always a mountain to climb for any team when facing the southerners, and when the gods of fixtures produced the calendar for the season, seeing that we were due to meet Johor DT this early in the season, we knew this was a tough preposition indeed. More so with them firing on all cylinders since the word go while we have had a stuttering start blighted by a disrupted pre-season caused by Covid-19 and injuries.
As bad as the scoreline suggested, the City Boys were never really out of the match despite trailing 1-0, until the final 10 minutes, as Johor DT capitalised on some important refereeing decisions that could have gone the other way on another day if another man blew the whistle. Just like the Selangor match, the man in black was the focal point of our frustrations and disappointments of not getting anything from this encounter, even though it was a much improved performance compared to the previous encounter six weeks ago in the Charity Cup.
Head coach Bojan knowing full well of the threat posed by Johor DT’s offence, tinkered with our backline for the fifth time this season, introducing a new combination of Gallifuoco and Declan at the heart of it, with Irfan and Kamal Azizi, on the left and right respectively and Mendoza marshalling in goal. Forced by Zhafri’s absence due to injury sustained from his time with the national squad and Koubemba hamstring issue, the tactician made changes to the engine room and attacking options. Kenny and Akram both operated as enforcers in the middle of the pitch, with Ryan ahead of them. Partiban and Hadin were operated on the flanks, with Paulo moving up into unfamiliar territory as the lone striker to hold up the ball and connect with the midfielders.
Expectedly the away side piled on the pressure from the start but the City Boys were aggressive and combatant enough to thwart whatever thrown at us. We did not have much of the ball in the opening exchanges but we kept them at bay.
Our resistance though last for only 17 minutes. A diagonal long ball by Syahmi Safari, sent from right within his own half, was completely misjudged by Declan in his attempt to head the ball clear, allowing Fernando Forestieri who was more than happy to pick up the ball and race into box, slamming it past the onrushing Mendoza.
In the 27th minute, the Johoreans went close to doubling their lead through a wicked in-swinging free kick from our left close to the penalty box by Leandro Velazquez that crashed against the crossbar but rebounded back into play finding Bergson da Silva at the fast post who played it into the path of Forestieri. Thankfully, the former Italian youth international’s strike was blocked by Hadin and cleared to safety.
Three minutes later, Bergson used his strength to rob the ball from Gallifuoco near the centre circle, and then power past Irfan’s desperate lunge to go on a free run towards goal into a one on one situation with our No.1 in the box. Our custodian came out tops parrying the shot away with plenty of help from the fast retreating Declan, who put off the Brazillian with his presence and last ditch tackle.
Our plans to contain Johor DT, got derailed for the most unfortunate stroke of luck, but somehow we were still in it at halftime, only a goal behind.
Just before the resumption of the match, Bojan made the first change, bringing on last season’s 15 goal assassin Romel, for his first appearance this season, in place of Hadin.
It was a different City Boys team that came on for the second half, and it took only two minutes for us to almost level the match. Partiban chased a lost cause from a crossfield long ball down to the byline on the left, and played it back to find Ryan at the top of the box. The latter immediately spotted Paulo Josue peeling away from his marker and relayed a short pass into the danger zone. Our skipper turned the ball with a low pass across the face of the goal to the far post, escaping everyone in blue, but Romel and Kamal Azizi’s sliding effort was just a half second too late. Buoyed by the chance, the Sampai Mati Kuala Lumpur faithful reacted with chants of “C’mon KL! C’mon KL!” silencing the noisy group of Johor DT supporters for once in this match.
In the 57th minute, came the decision that completely ruined the match from our perspective. Kenny was sent off! All for a gentle tap on the back of the head of Leandro who tried to con the referee into giving a penalty for a nothing challenge by Akram in the box, earlier. It was just preposterous looking at how the Argentine rolled around clutching his face, as if he had been hit by a Russian missile? You get tapped in the back of the head and the pain immediately goes to your face? Injustice indeed, the referee was conned into believing the acting talents of the South American. And we thought the Academy Awards was over, hey give the boy an Oscar! Chris Rock got slapped in the face by Will Smith, and he just stood there like a Rock against the will of Will, but here we have a professional athlete at the best of his fakery and theatrics. Kenny was incensed, the whole team was too, and so was the bench and everything connected with the Red and White. Is this what they teach these fellows back at their million dollar training ground? After a lengthy protest, reluctantly Kenny left the pitch, leaving us a man down and the task doubly hard now.
As we came to grips with the reality of the situation on the pitch, the City Boys knew that time was running out to save a point, at least. Nine minutes later, we came really close to equalizing, when just a few yards into enemy territory, Irfan squeezed a through pass that split the Johor DT defence, to Paulo Josue, who ran with the ball into the box, but Farizal Marlias came out to stop his shot from close range. That was the best chance we had throughout this match. Cheers of “C’mon KL! C’mon KL!” reverberated around the C1, B1 and B2 sections of the stadium once again. There was believe despite the odds on the pitch.
Bergson was a real menace that threatened to punish us every time he got the ball. With 20 minutes to go, and Johor DT keen to wrap things up, the con artist Leandro delivered a long ball from the centre circle to the top of our box where Bergson’s outstretched right leg expertly controlled it to beat Irfan, but his flick over Mendoza missed the target.
The game was almost beyond us 10 minutes later when Johor DT were granted a penalty for the softest of fouls. Nabil who went in at leftback for Declan just a minute earlier, was the culprit as he struggled to cope with the twist and turns and changes of direction by Ariff Aiman, cutting into the box from the right after collecting a long ball from deep within his own half. The latter went sprawling down to the floor at the lightest contact from the chasing Nabil. The referee did not hesitate to blow for penalty, again another questionable decision, and Bergson stepped up to drill it low past Mendoza’s right. The Filipino national, guessed correctly, but the former struck with such venom leaving us staring at defeat for the first time at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium since September 12, 2019.
Our City Boys though did not throw in the towel just like that. They kept on pushing, looking for the goal to reduce arrears and get back into the game, and that moment almost arrived with a minute to spare to regulation time, when our skipper Paulo Josue drilled a corner from the left to Gallifouco, whose glancing header to the far post, narrowly missed the target.
In the final minute of play, Johor DT wrapped their victory with Bergon’s second of the match. Quickly countering, Corbin Ong released Ramadan Saifullah on the left. Having all the time in the world, he picked out Safiq Rahim in the centre at the top of our box, taking a touch before directing into to Bergson who fired past the stranded Mendoza.
We end the first three matches in the league with only a point, and plenty to fix still. The performance of the men in black aside, the inability of our defence to catch a break is surely worrisome for Bojan. Yet again we conceded 3 goals in a match, for the fourth time this year, twice to Johor DT, Selangor & Kedah DA. Yet again a penalty, the third after two spotkicks awarded were given against us vs Selangor. Yet again a sending off, the second of 2022, after Gallifuoco’s red card in the Selangor game. The season is just over a month old but leaking 12 goals in 4 matches to top level opposition compared to only 26 goals conceded in 33 matches in 2021 at an average of 3 goals every 4 matches is no great read for anyone, be it coach, player, fan. The trouble is in the defending, the hallmark of our strengths then, but at present we are being just too generous. Panic we should not, nobody wins the league after 3 matches, and nobody loses after 3 matches too, we still have time to set things right, and the opportunity presents itself immediately with Saturday’s welcome of Melaka U.
Kuala Lumpur City vs Johor DT : 1 Mendoza (GK), 9 Gallifuoco, 12 Declan (79’ 66 Nabil), 17 Irfan, 4 Kamal Azizi, 14 Akram, 21 Kenny, 16 Partiban (90’ 30 Fakrul ), 27 Hadin (45’ 7 Romel), 6 Ryan (79’ 29 Shaqirin), 28 Paulo Josue (C)
Subs Not Used: 44 Azri G. (GK), 10 Safee, 11 Koubemba, 22 Nik Umar, 25 Anwar
Referees : Razlan bin Joffri Ali, Assistants : Mohd Arif Shamil bin Abd Rasid, Mohammad Juhairi bin Haji Idris; Fourth Official : Abdul Rahman bin Wahab
Attendance: 2,693
OUR HERO OF THE MATCH: PAULO JOSUE
He told The Voice of City Boys:
“I could have scored a hat-trick but if the team do not win games, it does not matter. It is not about individual performance, but rather the team’s performance. I hope next game we will play well and collect our first 3 points.”
The captain was incisive with his runs and passes which calls for Hero of the Match. While he was disappointed with the result, he sends his gratitude to all the fans who came to support the team.
To watch the highlights of this match, please click
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
To watch the complete match, please click
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6z5hOus-_o
Next up for the City Boys, is the visit of Melaka United in Match Day 4 of the Super League, Saturday, 9/4/2022 at 10pm at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras.
For information on tickets, please click
https://ticket.tickethotline.com.my/club/kualalumpur/10/home
For Season Ticket Holders (B2 City Boys), enjoy 20% off regular ticket prices for your friends and/or family (Limited to a maximum of 4 tickets per transaction. Contact Shamim for details)
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Prepared by The Voice of The City Boys