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Pahang FA produced a sensational Malaysia Cup semifinal comeback to progress into the final with a 5-0 second leg trashing of Kedah FA on Friday night in front of the Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah who was celebrating his 84th birthday. The defending champions came charging out of the blocks knowing that they had to score early to reduce the 3-1 deficit from the first leg against Tan Cheng Hoe's young guns at the Darul Makmur stadium. Cheng Hoe's team comprised of mostly youngsters like 18-year-old Farhan Roslan but were dealt an early blow when South Korean playmaker Namkung Woong had to come off due to an injury in the 10th minute. Argentine striker Matias Conti was the star of the show as he netted a first-half hat trick with goals in the fourth minute and 25th minute putting the aggregate back to 3-3 before R. Gopinathan added a third on 29 minutes. Conti's superb performance was rewarded when he got his hat trick in the 36th minute to send the 35,000 crowd into a frenzy. The second-half was a mirror of the first as the home team continued to pour forward as they dominated possession with Gopinathan netting his second in the 73rd minute. Pahang will aim to defend their Malaysia Cup crown in the final scheduled for Nov. 1 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium but must wait to find out their opponents after Saturday's match between Johor Darul Takzim FC and Felda United FC at the Larkin stadium in Johor.
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