MOVE ASIDE.. Tenaga defender Amin Rahim (left) and Sapura midfielder Jiwa Mohan in a tussle at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Tenaga Nasional will battle for the Malaysia Hockey League TNB Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.
KLHC, who held a 6-1 cushion going into the second leg of the quarter-finals, beat Maybank 5-2 for an aggregate 11-3 win.
In the other quarter-finals, Tenaga Nasional beat Sapura 4-3 for an 9-6 aggregate win. But lost defender Sallehin Ghani to a red card in the 65th minute, and he will sit out the final as well.
Sallehin's rough tackle on Sapura's Joel Samuel van Huizen saw the youngster being stretchered out, and it ended the Tenaga players MHL season prematurely.
Sapura started off well by attacking from the whistle, but a 16th minute rough tackle by their skipper S. Kuhan at the top of the semi-circle gave away a penalty corner.
The corner was converted into a penalty stroke when the ball hit postman Megat Azrafiq on the foot, and national player Amin Rahim cooly slotted in the goal with a low push to beat goalkeeper Khairul Nizam.
Sapura pulled a goal back in the 38th minute through Izwan Firdaus but TNB hit back the very next minute through Firhan Ashaari.
And Amir Farid made the task all the more impossible for Sapura, netting TNB's third in the 50th minute for an aggregate lead of 8-4. Though Azreen Rizal Nasir scored from a penalty corner set piece in the 64th minute, it was a little too late for Sapura.
All hell broke loose in the 66th minute when Sallehin made a dangerous tackle on Joel and players from both sides squared up against each other.
Sallehin was red carded after much deliberation and will now miss the final on Sunday.
But TNB still managed to score their fourth through Faiz Helmi in the 68th minute. Though Azreen got another in stoppage time, TNB were already through.
In the other match, Maybank started off well by taking the lead off Zulhairi Hashim in the eighth minute, but KLHC replied in the 24th minute off an Ismail Abu field attempt.
But right after the restart, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (37th), Shahrun Nabil (38th), Razie Rahim (53rd), Syamim Yusof (62nd) doused any hope that the Tigers had. The Maybank second goal was scored by Muhsin Hamsani (54th).
"With a five-goal lead, it was a question of Maybank opening up their match to score, and they gave us a tough fight in the first half. However, the two quick goals in the second half gave us the break.
"It was no way that we were going to lose this tie, and now we only have one days rest before playing for the Cup," said KLHC manager George Koshy.
RESULTS: S-Finals (2nd leg): Sapura 3 Tenaga 4 (Tenaga win 9-6 on aggregate); Maybank 2 Kuala Lumpur HC 5 (KLHC win 11-3 on aggregate).
TOMORROW: Final: Kuala Lumpur HC v Tenaga (8pm); Third-Fourth: Sapura v Maybank (6pm).
Both matches at the second pitch of the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
