Aidil (second right) celebrating with players and staff at the Stadium Negeri after Kuching City FC booked their ticket to the Malaysia Cup final for the first time. – Photo taken from Kuching City FC Facebook page
KUCHING (April 19): Kuching City FC created history after defeating Selangor FC 1-0 in the second leg of their Malaysia Cup semi-final at Stadium Negeri last night, securing a 2-1 aggregate victory to book their place in the final for the first time.
The result marks a significant milestone as the professional club side becomes the first club from Sarawak to qualify for the Malaysia Cup final since the competition transitioned from state-based teams to a club licensing system.
Roared on by a full capacity home crowd, the Cats produced a disciplined and resolute performance, with Petrus Shitembi netting the decisive goal in the 31st minute.
The hosts held firm against mounting pressure as the Red Giants lost their composure late in the match, finishing with nine men following two red cards, amid an electric atmosphere.
The victory not only underlined Kuching City’s steady rise in Malaysian football but also ended a 27-year wait for Sarawakian fans to see a team from the state reach the prestigious final.
Historically, only one other team from Sarawak had reached this stage in which the former state side Sarawak FA finished runner-up in 1999 after losing 2-1 to a Brunei representative team at the Stadium Merdeka.
While Sarawak FA represented the state under the old association-based system, Kuching City FC’s achievement reflects the modern era of Malaysian football, where privately run clubs compete at the highest level of the Malaysian league. Despite this structural shift, the club has effectively become the flag bearer for Sarawak, drawing support from across the state.
Its journey to the final has been marked by resilience and consistency as they overturned a first-leg deficit to eliminate Penang FC 2-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, before cruising past Brunei DPMM FC 6-2 over two legs in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, they held Selangor to a 1-1 draw away before sealing the tie with last night’s 1-0 win at home.
Head coach Aidil Sharin described the achievement as the result of collective effort and determination.
“Alhamdulillah, I think this is God’s plan because to go there is not easy, the journey, but the boys really worked hard for it. Every member of the team had contributed to this historic run.
“Everyone in the team contributes and also thanks to their family and also the management and the fans today,” he added in a press conference after the match.
Aidil, who previously reached the Malaysia Cup final with Kedah, said the team would not be satisfied with just making the final.
“We will not stop here because final is a final. It’s always every coach’s big dream to win it and to be the champion,” he said.
Looking ahead, Kuching City FC will face Malaysian football powerhouse Johor Darul Ta’zim FC in the final at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on May 23.
The matchup sets up a classic David versus Goliath encounter but based on their current form and giant-slaying run, the Cats will head into the final with growing confidence and the hopes of Sarawak behind them.
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