No one expected Selangor and Kedah to be in the Malaysia Cup final 2015. Many tipped JDT, Pahang and Terengganu to reach the final. Unfortunately, Terengganu crashed out in the group stage, JDT in the quarter-final while Pahang lost to eventual finalist Selangor in the semi-final.
Malaysia Cup magic is widely known due to consistently provide a surprise element in the tournament but this year is a real shocker.
Selangor v Kedah final 2015 is not the same as Selangor v Kedah final 2008. Both team are equally strong in 2008, competing in the same league and possessed quality imports and as well as suppliers to the national team.
Of course, Kedah dominated Malaysian football scene at the time, winning all major trophies available in the country. While Selangor finished 4th in the league, lost 3-2 to Kedah in FA Cup final and lost to Kedah, again with 3-2 scoreline, in Malaysia Cup final.
At that time, Kedah looked unbeatable and invincible and almost no one can beat them. Selangor is still struggling to find their way back to the top.
Fast forward to 2015, much has changed. Selangor won back-to-back league title in 2009 and 2010 yet unable to appease their fans as they continuously failed to reach Malaysia Cup final every year, something that is very unusual for the football team that has been crowned champion for 32 times.
Every year the fans are talking about Misi33 and every single year FAS tried to assemble the best squad, matching the demand of the fans. One thing FAS failed to realise is how their fans is used to winning, so they want something more. Winning the league is a must and featuring in the Malaysia Cup final is a must. FAS have enough resources to do so. Both Devan and Irfan Bakti failed to win the Malaysia Cup despite boasting the best talent in the country. But Mehmet proved that Selangor able to reach the final without star players in the team. If they can do it with such a team, imagine if they sign more good players in the future. Now they are back in the final for the first time since 2008, and its the time to show the new generation of fans who they was and how good they were in the past.
Kedah is a case of a great fallen giants. After winning double treble in 2007 and 2008, the highest stage they reached afterwards was FA Cup 2010 final but lost to Negeri Sembilan on 5-4 penalties. They were relegated in 2012 and that was it. It took them 3 years to be back on track. They finished 4th twice in the MPL in 2013 and 2014. They are always the favourite to win the league but took too much time on settling and bonding together as a team. Even this season they started off in a slow tempo, always fall short behind T-Team and Sabah. But they soon took the lead, taking an advantage from T-Team and Sabah slip up to win the league title.
Kedah later became the surprise package in the Malaysia Cup, beating the likes of Terengganu, LionsXII and Felda on the way to the final. Its incredible for a team that probably spend much lesser than the then MPL team such as ATM and the defunct MPPJ in order to reach the final. Such consistent performance throughout the campaign, there is no doubt that they have a bright chance of winning the final.
Its been too long for both side. For Selangor, its 10 years. For Kedah, its 7 years. If Selangor win, they will finally fulfil the Misi33 and will definitely bring back the belief to the fans for the next season. If Selangor lose? Pressure will be even higher. If Kedah win, they will be very very happy. If Kedah lose? Sad. Just a bit sad. That's it.
Hope the final will be as exciting as the 2008. Hope the final will be one great final. Enjoy.
