Final First Leg Pahang 4-3 Selangor - Reaction

Pahang Rangers ended Selangor's unbeaten season with a 4-3 win in the first leg of the MPFL 2026 final at the SUKPA Indoor Stadium in Kuantan, and have the edge going into the second leg in Shah Alam on 31 October. Selangor had won all 18 of their matches this season, 16 in the regular season and two in the semi-finals, before Saturday night.

Eloy Alonso said the result carried extra weight because of who it came against. The Pahang head coach told Bernama that Selangor were the regular-season champions and had not lost before the match, and said his players had given "110 percent today, backed by their home supporters". He added that the run to the final had given the squad extra motivation for the second leg.

Edgar Baldasso accepted the defeat. The Selangor head coach said his side started poorly and made defensive errors that Pahang punished, and that they had several chances to equalise, particularly in the last seven or eight minutes, without taking them. He said Pahang deserved to win and that Selangor had to concentrate on the second leg with a stronger mentality, according to Berita Harian.

Both coaches had struck different notes at Friday's pre-match press conference. Alonso called reaching the final a special achievement for a team that had built its strength gradually, said the semi-final win over JDT had boosted its confidence, and warned that Pahang could not give Selangor "any space". Baldasso said he would not treat his side's unbeaten run as an advantage. Pahang captain Akmarulnizam Idris said the team had momentum after beating JDT and, although the head-to-head record favoured Selangor, were optimistic of an upset.

The first leg reversed that record. Selangor had beaten Pahang 5-3 in Kuantan in June and 5-2 in Shah Alam in July, had won the last three league meetings between the clubs, and had beaten them 13-3 in the 2025 Malaysia Futsal Cup final. Pahang had finished the regular season third on 37 points, 11 behind Selangor, and reached the final by beating ATM and then JDT 8-5 on aggregate.

The second leg is not a formality for either side. Under the format, a team must win both legs to take the title outright, so Pahang need to win in Shah Alam, while a Selangor win by any margin would send the tie to extra time and penalties regardless of the first-leg score. Pahang know the situation: in the semi-final JDT won the second leg in normal time, and Pahang still won the tie in extra time.

Selangor will have their own supporters behind them in Shah Alam as they try to turn the final around.