Preliminary Stage 2: Perak 1-1 Kitchee SC (AET, Perak win 6-5 on penalties)

Ipoh: Malaysian side Perak defeated Kitchee SC of Hong Kong 6-5 on penalties after their 2019 AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage 2 tie ended 1-1 after extra-time at the Perak Stadium on Tuesday.

Perak goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim was the hero when he saved two penalties in the sudden death shoot-out to send Perak through to the next round.

The victory for Mehmet Durakovic’s men sets up an exciting encounter in the play-offs with 2012 AFC Champions League winners Ulsan Hyundai on February 19.

Perak raced off the blocks and in the third minute, Gilmar pounced on Brendan Gan’s through ball but his shot was saved by Kitchee custodian Wang Zhenpeng.

Kitchee orchestrated an attack five minutes later with Lucas Da Silva sent through on goal but Hakim foiled his attempt.

Perak asserted their dominance in the game and broke the deadlock in the 14th minute through Wander Luiz’s header following Gilmar’s assist.

Durakovic’s side came close to doubling their advantage in the 27th minute after Luiz’s free-kick found an unmarked Gan in the box.

However, the midfielder headed the ball straight into the arms of Wang as Perak took a 1-0 lead at half-time.

Kitchee came out roaring in the second half and almost punished the Malaysian side in the 47th minute but Krisztian Vadocz’s half volley from outside the box sailed just wide off the mark.

The Hong Kong side, however, suffered a setback when Matt Smith was given his marching orders for using his hands to block Luiz’s effort.

Despite the advantage to Perak, Kitchee kept the home side at bay and finally found the equaliser in the 89th minute.

Chen Chin Lung sent in a perfect cross to an unmarked Li Ngao Hoi, who finished cooly past Hakim to send the match into extra-time.

Perak dominated play in the first half of extra-time as Luiz came close to breaking the deadlock on numerous occasions but the Brazilian could not find the back of the net.

Durakovic’s men applied more pressure in the second half in the hope of finding the elusive goal but the visitors stayed firm and held on to send the match into penalties.

In the penalty shootout, Perak's Leandro Dos Santos saw his effort saved by Wang, while Hakim saved Li Ngai Hoi and Dani Cancela's spot-kick to give Perak a 6-5 victory.


Source: the-afc.com