PENANG FC secured their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 second leg victory over Melaka FC at the City Stadium tonight. The comprehensive win completed a 5-0 aggregate triumph for the Panthers, who carried a two-goal advantage from the first leg into tonight’s encounter.
Team captain Stefano Brundo ignited the home crowd in the 11th minute by calmly converting a rebound after Danilo Sipovac’s header struck the crossbar. Foreign striker Tchetche Kipre came close to doubling the lead five minutes later with a header that narrowly missed the target.
Melaka FC attempted to mount a response through Muhammad Sharel Fikri Md Fauzi in the 22nd minute, but his weak shot drifted harmlessly past the Penang goal. The home side extended their advantage in the 39th minute through Under-23 player Ahmad Haziq Kutty Abba, who fired home the team’s second goal to pile pressure on the visitors.
Penang FC maintained their attacking momentum in the second half with several attempts from Kipre and Dylan Wenzel-Halls, though poor finishing prevented additional goals. The visitors launched occasional counter-attacks but found themselves consistently thwarted by the hosts’ organised defence.
The home side faced a setback in the 78th minute when Jose Porteria received a red card from referee S. Logeswaran for a foul, reducing Penang to ten men. Kipre redeemed his earlier misses by netting the third goal in the 80th minute to seal the victory and complete the dominant aggregate performance. – Bernama
