TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) will play Sapura in the final of the TNB Cup at the Tun Razak Stadium Sunday.
Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) made a gallant 3-1 come-back in the Second Leg of the Semi-finals to hold Sapura to a 4-4 aggregate draw, but lost 2-4 in the penalty choot-out.
THT, who held a 6-1 advantage from the First Leg, beat Maybank 8-4 for a 14-5 aggregate win.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan said the match was bad for his heart, but good for the club which last played in the Overall title final (now TNB Cup) in 2006.
"We blew our 2-0 aggregate in the first two quarters because my players were too eager to score and left gaping holes at the back. It was bad for my heart, but entertaining to the end and I am glad that our club has made the final again after 10 years.
"Last season we finished third Overall, and now have a chance to claim the title itself," said Yahya.
KLHC team manager Ahmad Anuar Sham rued the missed chances: "We had the match in our grip, but failed to score the most crucial goal to shut the door on Sapura. Anyway, its always 50-50 in any shoot-out, and it was disappointing that we could not be
the winners."
KLHC got their goals off their import players Ali Shan (10th) and Nam Huyn Woo (15th, 34th) while Khairul Ikhwan's 15th minute goal helped his team into the shoot-out.
And the shoot-out toast for Sapura was their goalkeeper Hairi Rahman, who kept his cool.
THT coach Sarjit Singh said his men are ready to defend their title.
"We had a slow season, but picked up in the later stages to claim the League title. And now that we are in the TNB Cup final, I believe my players will not let me down in our quest to win our third consecutive double in the MHL," said Sarjit.
RESULTS: TNB Cup semi-finals Second Leg:
Kuala Lumpur HC 3 v Saura HC 1.
(Sapura win 4-2 in penalty shootout)
Maybank 4 v Terengganu HT 8.
(Terengganu HT win on 14-5 aggregate)
President's Cup: Semi-finals Second Leg:
SSTMI 6 v UiTM-KPT 2.
(SSTMI win on 9-6 aggregate)
Politeknik 3 v TNB Thunderbolts 6.
(Thunderbolts win on 9-5 aggregate)
Vivian Soars Cup: Semi-finals Second Leg:
ATM Pernama 2 v Blue Warriors 2.
(Blue Warriors win on 3-2 aggregate)
PKS-Uniten-KPT 3 v SSTMI 2.
(SSTMI win on 4-3 aggregate)
SUNDAY: TNB Cup Final: Terengganu v Sapura (Tun Razak, 8.30pm).
President's Cup Final: SSTMI v TNB Thunderbolts (Tun Razak, 6pm).
Vivian Soars Cup Final: Blue Warriors v SSTMI (Tun Razak, 4pm).
