Perak tops LG's Group B

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Perak FC of Malaysia won the Group B LG Cup ASEAN Club Championship on Tuesday, after defeating Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota (DPMM) of Brunei Darussalam 3-0 in Gresik, East Java.

It was Perak's second victory following its 2-0 defeat of Singapore's SAF FC on Sunday.

Perak will face Samart United of Cambodia -- runner-up of Group A -- in the quarterfinal.

Host Petrokimia Putra, which tops the two-team Group A, will play Group B runner-up, either DPMM or SAF FC of Singapore, which will meet on Thursday.

Perak initially had difficulty in scoring a goal in the first half, according to Antara.

Liberian forward Frank Seator and Malaysian national team striker Indra Putra came close to breaking the deadlock many times, but failed to follow through, leaving the first half game scoreless.

The first goal for the Malaysian team came from a penalty shot in the 52nd minute, with Seator being the executor. He was rewarded the penalty shot after midfielder Yusri Bin Che Lah was brought down inside the penalty box. It was Seator's second goal at the LG Cup tournament.

Defender Syamsul Bin Saad doubled the lead for Perak when DPMM's goalkeeper Rahimin, who made silly mistakes throughout the game, miscued a corner kick by Brazilian Flavio Rocha in the 71st minute.

DPMM tried to put up a fight and grab its share of ball possession against Perak. However, the plot left their defense even more vulnerable.

Perak's Nanthakumar led a fast counterattack in injury time and sneaked in a through pass to back right wing Harizul Izuan, who found the net and sealed the big win for the Malaysian team.

Perak's Brazilian coach Tony Netto admitted to his team's slow start in the first half. He said he instructed his squad to increase play in the second half. "The result was that we scored three goals."

DPMM still has a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals match against Petrokimia Putra, if it manages to win against SAF FC in their last Group B qualifying match on Thursday.