Preview: Selangor (6) v (2) Terengganu, Semi-Final Second Leg

Selangor are one match from the MPFL 2026 final with a 6-2 first-leg lead over Terengganu, and the only side in the competition that has never lost, or even drawn, has most of the work done. Edgar Baldasso's side won all 16 of their regular-season matches, beat Terengganu in Kuantan to make it 17 from 17, and now need to see out the second leg.

The play-off rules still give Terengganu something to play for. A side must win both legs of a tie to go through outright, so a Terengganu win by any margin would send the tie to extra time and penalties, whatever the aggregate says. For Mohd Shafily Jusoh's side, that turns a four-goal deficit into a question of winning the match and then winning the shootout.

The first leg was settled almost before it began. Marlon scored in the 2nd, 4th and 5th minutes and Muhammad Nazreen Saudi made it 4-0 in the 15th. Terengganu got on the board two minutes later through an own goal by Selangor's Muhammad Aidil Shahril Rosli, but Marlon added a fourth in the 19th to make it 5-1 at the break. In the second half Iqhmal Najmie and Syahir Iqbal both scored in the 35th minute to close the scoring at 6-2. Terengganu captain Syed Shahrul was booked after 11 minutes, and Alif Mat Amin, Terengganu's main goal threat, was kept off the scoresheet.

That matters because Alif Mat Amin is Terengganu's route back into the tie. He scored a hat-trick inside 18 minutes in the 5-3 play-off win over KL City and four times in a 5-1 win over the same opponents in Circuit 8, and on nights when he is allowed to get on the ball Terengganu can score quickly. The problem is the other end. Terengganu conceded 70 goals in the regular season, the highest total of any side in the top six, and the three meetings so far with Selangor have produced 24 goals against and five for.

Selangor's approach is likely to be built on the same blend that has carried them all year. Marlon and Evandro Borges supply the finishing, Syahir Iqbal has emerged as arguably the league's outstanding homegrown player, and Mohd Khairul, the Malaysia captain, adds experience. A regular season in which they scored 126 goals and conceded 24 leaves little doubt about what a rested, deep squad can do.

Terengganu will not need telling that the margin is wide. What they showed in the play-offs, a first-half burst against KL City that built a 3-0 lead before the break, is the only template available. They will need an early goal, an early second, and a Selangor side that treats the night as a formality.

The winner will meet Pahang Rangers in the final after their semi-final win over two time defending champions JDT. The final is over two legs on 24th and 31st October.