Pahang Rangers 3-5 Selangor
Selangor stunned Circuit 4 hosts Pahang Rangers with a hard-fought victory to extend their 100% record and inflict a first defeat of the season on Eloy Alonso's side. Edgar Baldasso's side now have a five-point lead at the top of the table.
The final match of Circuit 4 Matchday 1 was the game of the season so far, as the top two, Selangor and Pahang Rangers, went head to head.
Selangor's win over Johor Darul Ta'zim last week extended their 100% record to six games, and they made a flying start against Pahang, who were themselves still unbeaten.
Syahir put the leaders in front with a fine solo goal after five minutes, Selangor's 50th goal of the season, and they soon doubled the lead with a clever flick from top scorer Marlon, who moved onto sixteen goals for the season.
Pahang, cheered on by a big home crowd, were struggling to contain Selangor's attacking threat, and the leaders added a third with a brilliant strike from Syahir, his second of the match, for a 3-0 lead.
With 30 seconds of the half remaining Pahang finally got on the scoresheet, another goal with quality about it, Harith Na'im with an unstoppable shot to give Eloy Alonso's side some hope. They trailed 3-1 at the halfway point.
Any hope of a Pahang comeback was pretty much extinguished when Selangor added a fourth at the start of the second half, last week's man of the match Borges Evandro on the mark. A fifth followed as Selangor gave themselves a four-goal cushion, Nazreen Saudi with his third goal of the season.
Pahang also hit the 50-goal mark as they reduced the deficit through Syarifuddin Akhir. Felipe De Souza hit the foot of the post with a well struck shot and eventually found the net to make it 5-3, but it was another solid performance from Selangor, who extend their lead at the top of the table to five points with a seventh win in seven games.
