MOHAMMAD Ghaddar Mahmud received more than he bargained for when he was repeatedly punched and kicked after firing Kelantan to the top of the Super League standings with the only goal in Friday's win over Selangor in Kota Baru.The Lebanese striker, whose glancing header in the 25th minute secured Kelantan a 1-0 win which put them within two victories of retaining their title, was involved in a battle of attrition with Selangor players which went unchecked by referee Jefferi Zolkifli.
The first incident happened in the 42nd minute when Amri Yahyah punched Ghaddar in the groin, with the Kelantan striker writhing in agony on the ground, as they awaited a free-kick to be delivered into the Kelantan penalty box.
Seven minutes after half-time, it was Bunyamin Umar's turn to take a swipe at Ghaddar in an off-the-ball incident when the Selangor midfielder punched the Lebanon international in the back of the head as they were running towards goal.
But the worst was to come in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Nasriq Baharom caught Ghaddar square in the face with a kick which would not be out of place in a karate competition.
Nasriq was shown the yellow card but the manner in which the kick delivered pointed to malice in the defender's action as he made no attempt to play the ball and he deserved no less than a red card followed by a lengthy ban.
Selangor skipper Amri, whose punch has made it's way to Youtube, and Bunyamin escaped censure although all three incidents were caught by television cameras which broadcast the match live on Astro Arena.
Ghaddar did not start the match and was only on the pitch for five minute after replacing injured skipper Badhri Radzi when he scored the winner which took Kelantan a point clear of Singapore's LionsXII with two games in hand.
Two wins in their remaining four games against Negri Sembilan (Tuesday), Perak (July 7), Felda United (July 10) and Sarawak (July 14) will be enough for Kelantan to be crowned champions for a second consecutive year.
"We are back at the summit of the Super League. Only two steps away from fulfilling our mission of defending the Super League title. The players showed character and understood the message I delivered to them last night (Thursday).
"I have always believed TRW (The Red Warriors) have the ability to reach a high performance level. We must not lose focus. Two more wins and we will be champions!" said suspended Kelantan FA president Tan Sri Annuar Musa on his official Facebook page after the game
Post time 1-7-2012 10:32 AM
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