Kelantan's Fairy Tale Run In AFC Cup Comes To An End

KOTA BAHARU, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Kelantan's fairy tale run in the AFC Cup competition came an end after a 1-1 draw against Iraq club, Arbil SC in their second leg quarterfinal match at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here Tuesday night.

The Super League champion who were the only remaining Malaysian team in the competition, lost out 2-6 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-5 at the Francouse Al Hareeri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq on Sept 18.

Kelantan who were eager to overturn the deficit on home soil, were however, stunned by a 37th minute strike by the visitors through Sula Matovu.

After numerous failed attempts and wasted chances, Kelantan finally managed to equalise when Mohammed Ghaddar Mahmoud converted a penalty kick that was awarded in the closing minutes of the game.

With the win, the Iraq club will face either Chonburi FC from Thailand or Al-Shorta from Syria in the semifinals scheduled on Oct 2 and 23 respectively.

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