Negeri Sembilan FC’s Malaysia FA Cup journey came to an end despite a spirited comeback, as Kelantan City FC held their nerve to advance to the quarter-finals with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
The Jangs entered the second leg facing a difficult task after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the opening encounter, knowing they needed a strong response at home to overturn the deficit.
They came out attacking from the opening whistle and briefly had the tie swinging in their favour — but Kelantan City’s second-half fightback ultimately proved decisive.
Determined to erase the two-goal deficit, Negeri Sembilan immediately pushed forward in search of an early breakthrough.
Their pressure paid off in just the fifth minute. Japanese striker Yusuke Minagawa opened the scoring for the hosts, giving Negeri Sembilan the early momentum they desperately needed.
The Jangs continued to press, looking for a second goal that would bring the aggregate score level.
Their persistence was rewarded in the 38th minute, when Akhyar Rashid doubled Negeri Sembilan’s advantage.
The two goals completely changed the complexion of the tie, putting the Jangs within one goal of a remarkable comeback.
However, despite their continued pressure, Negeri Sembilan could not add another before half-time.
The second half began with Kelantan City knowing they had to rediscover their attacking rhythm to protect their aggregate advantage.
In the 53rd minute, Dardy Arbdallah struck to restore Kelantan City’s two-goal aggregate cushion and deliver a major blow to Negeri Sembilan’s comeback hopes.
Just one minute later, Asraff Aliffuddin produced a stunning long-range effort to stretch the aggregate lead to 4-2.
Negeri Sembilan now needed two more goals simply to force the tie level, and time was rapidly running out.
South Korean centre-back Park Yi-young pulled another goal back for Negeri Sembilan in the closing stages, giving the home side renewed hope of completing an extraordinary comeback.
But despite the late pressure, there was not enough time to find the additional goal required.
The final whistle confirmed a 3-2 victory for Negeri Sembilan on the night, but Kelantan City advanced 4-3 on aggregate.
The result sends Kelantan City FC into the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will carry the hopes of the Liga A1 Semi-Pro into the next round.
For Negeri Sembilan, the elimination will be particularly painful after the Jangs produced a spirited response to their first-leg defeat and briefly looked capable of overturning the tie.
Credit Photo : NSFC
