PKNS FC condemned neighbours Selangor to their first defeat of the 2017 Malaysia Super League season as Patrick Wleh came back to haunt his former side at Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.

The Liberian scored a hat trick while Safee Sali got off to mark for his new side in a 5-3 victory.

PKNS coach E. Elavarasan was thrilled to see his newly promoted outfit firing back with a MSL win after defeats to Felda United and Kelantan.

"The players were focused and worked hard for this game," Elavarasan said. "We made some changes and still have areas to improve on, but this victory does wonders for our confidence."

Selangor started off the stronger of the sides in the afternoon kickoff at their former home ground, and grabbed an early advantage through youngster Syahmi Safari.

The former Malaysia U19 player capitalised on a mix up in the penalty area to give the Red Giants a short-lived lead in the 20th minute.

Five minutes later Wleh, who scored 20 goals for Selangor in 2016, equalised after beating the offside trap.

Another Selangor hit man in the form of Safee would then haunt the 2015 Malaysia Cup champions three minutes later.

A delicious free kick, floating in from the left wing, was not dealt with properly. Safee flung himself at the ball to bury a bullet header into the bottom corner to open his PKNS account.

Francis Forkey Doe levelled matters in the 39th minute with a deft finish. But Wleh ensured PKNS went into the break with the lead after heading them in front just before half-time.

P. Maniam's misery grew two minutes into the second half. Matias Hadwa was given time and space to smash home into the top corner for some breathing space.

Defensive frailties continued to be highlighted in this swashbuckling encounter, as Doe reduced the deficit in the 55th minute, following a mix up in the PKNS backline.

New signing Juliano Mineiro, who had only been on the pitch for a minute, was credited for the pass that put the Liberian through on goal.

But Wleh completed his treble just four minutes later. He headed home past Norazlan after the combination of Rizal Fahmi and Ugo Ukah failed to put a lid on the Liberian.

Adam Nor Azlin came on for Syahmi in the 70th minute, which turned into one of the biggest controversies of the game.

The Selangor youngster kicked the ball towards Hadwa on his way out, only to receive his second caution after he had left the pitch.

But the PKNS players argued that Adam should not even be allowed on the pitch, as Syahmi had committed the act while he was on the field.

After much deliberation with his officials, referee Fairuzi Mat Desa withdrew his decision to allow Adam to play, and as a result Selangor were reduced to 10 men.

Rizal Fahmi was eventually sacrificed to make way for the Selangor hot shot. But the score remained the same, and E. Elavarasan's men held out for the deserved three points.

In other results, Penang fell to a third consecutive defeat to begin the 2017 season as they fell 1-0 away to T-Team, increasing the pressure on British coach Ashley Westwood. Mamadou Samassa netted for the home side on 71 minutes.

Danish import Ken Ilso scored his first MSL goal for Kedah, but the 2016 Malaysia Cup champions were pegged back to a 1-1 home draw with Felda United, after a 58th minute equaliser by Hadin Azman.

A 1-0 victory for Pahang at Sarawak took them to the top of the table on goal difference from Perak, who prevailed 3-2 at home to Melaka United after a 93rd minute winner from Bulgarian striker Vladislav Mirchev.

The match between Kelantan and Johor Darul Ta'zim was postponed due to JDT's 2017 AFC Champions League playoff away to Gamba Osaka on Tuesday.

PKNS FC: Zamir Selamat (GK), Azmi Muslim, Patrick Wleh, Safee Sali (S. Sivanesen 90'), Nazrin Syamsul Bahri, Gonzalo Soto (C), Azreen Zulkafali, M. Sivakumar, Khairul Ramadhan, Sebastian Espindola, Matias Hadwa

Selangor: Abdul Halim Zainal, Saiful Selamat (Juliano Mineiro 64'), Francis Forkey Doe, Razman Roslan (C), Raimi Md Nor, Rizal Fahmi (Adam Nor Azlin 83'), Ugo Ukah, Syahmi Safari , Norazlan Razali (GK), S. Veenod, Victor Stelian

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Nicolas Anil

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