KUALA LUMPUR: Dylan Wenzel-Halls struck in the 119th minute to send Kuching City into their first ever FA Cup final after a dramatic 2-0 extra-time victory over Selangor amid ugly scenes involving players and officials at Taha Arifin Stadium in Petra Jaya on Sunday.
The Australian striker’s late winner sealed a 3-2 aggregate triumph for Aidil Sharin Sahak’s side, who overturned Selangor’s 2-1 first-leg advantage after Safawi Rasid’s 57th-minute penalty levelled the tie.
Tempers flared after Wenzel-Halls’ goal, with clashes involving members of both teams’ dugouts, prompting referee Izwan Abdullah to show red cards to Selangor playmaker Eduardo Sosa and fitness coach Joel Josep Dones Charte.
The tension continued after the final whistle, with Selangor coach Kim Pan Gon following the referee across the pitch to demand an explanation.
Sosa also appeared to make a cynical gesture against the referee as he headed towards the dressing room, potentially inviting further disciplinary action.
Kuching’s victory sets up a FA Cup final against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), who booked their fifth consecutive appearance in the decider after thrashing Brunei DPMM 6-1 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium for an 8-1 aggregate win.
JDT took the lead in the 27th minute when Manuel Hidalgo found Oscar Arribas, who squared for Joao Figueiredo to score his first goal in JDT colours after serving a 12-month suspension.
Jordan Murray briefly gave DPMM hope with a 49th-minute equaliser, but JDT responded with three goals in seven minutes.
Hidalgo restored JDT’s lead in the 59th minute before Arribas scored five minutes later. Substitute Jairo Da Silva added another in the 66th minute to put the tie beyond DPMM.
Daniesh Amiruddin converted an 88th-minute penalty before Marcos Guilherme completed the scoring in stoppage time.