The Red Giants' Heartbreak: A Night of Drama in Petaling Jaya
PERTALING JAYA, Selangor - The atmosphere at the MBPJ Stadium was electric, fueled by the intense rivalry between Selangor FC and Persib Bandung. For the Malaysian side, this Matchday 4 fixture was nothing less than a desperate, must-win scenario to keep their distant AFC Champions League Two dream from fading completely.
Selangor's start was explosive, giving the home crowd reason to believe. In the 3rd minute, the stadium erupted when Cape Verdean winger Alvin Fortes delivered a precise low cross that Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes wasted no time in slotting home for the opener. Their dominance was cemented in the 17th minute after a shot from Zach Clough caused panic in the Persib box, leading to a disastrous Own Goal by the visiting Argentine centre-back, Patricio Matricardi, gifting Selangor a surprising 2-0 lead that held until the half-time whistle.
Whatever counsel Persib coach Bojan Hodak gave his team during the break, the Maung Bandung emerged a completely different side, instantly seizing control of the match. The comeback began swiftly in the 49th minute when French forward Andrew Jung capitalized on a goalmouth scramble following a set piece, bundling the ball past Selangor goalkeeper Sikh Izhan Nazrel to cut the deficit to 2-1. For the next half hour, the match became a relentless test of Selangor's resolve, with goalkeeper Sikh Izhan proving to be a temporary hero, pulling off several spectacular saves to maintain the slim lead amidst the constant pressure.
The dam finally broke in the 81st minute. Indonesian international Adam Alis Setyano, collecting a superb through ball from midfielder Thom Haye, displayed immense composure to coolly finish and level the score at 2-2. The ultimate, crushing blow, however, was still to come. Deep into stoppage time (90'+7), fate dealt Selangor a cruel hand. Goalkeeper Sikh Izhan Nazrel made a catastrophic error under pressure, fumbling the ball just as the final whistle beckoned. Adam Alis was the quickest to react, pouncing on the mistake to tap in his second goal of the night, securing the devastating 3-2 winner for Persib. The final whistle descended upon the stadium, leaving the Persib faithful ecstatic and the home supporters in stunned silence. The miraculous second-half turnaround confirmed Selangor's fourth consecutive defeat and ended their AFC Champion League Two journey, serving as a painful testament to how quickly a comfortable lead can unravel in continental football.