KUALA LUMPUR – SMK Seksyen 11 from Selangor narrowly defeated Penang’s SMK Mutiara Impian in Group A, solidifying their position among the top five teams in the Ministry of Education Malaysia League Under-14 Football Championship.
In the first half, SMK Seksyen 11 took control and went ahead 1-0 when Syed Shahir Aidil Syed Zahabi scored in the 13th minute. They increased their lead to 2-0 thanks to Oskar Yusof Oskar Hasdinor, who scored after a mistake by the SMK Mutiara Impian goalkeeper, Mohd Taufik Amri.
However, the visitors regrouped in the second half, playing more cohesively and managed to reduce the deficit with a goal from Muhd Fariz Abdullah. SMK Mutiara Impian had several chances to equalise, but SMK Seksyen 11’s defence held strong.
Despite their second consecutive victory, SMK Seksyen 11’s coach, Lafizulnizam Abd Latip, cautioned his players against complacency.
“We started well with an early goal, but we became a bit desperate in the second half. The players needed to maintain their focus. We struggled towards the end to secure our first home win.
“The loss in our opening match motivated the players to correct their mistakes, which led to our recent win,” Lafizulnizam explained.
On the other hand, SMK Mutiara Impian’s assistant coach, Muhd Rakhi Mat Saat, noted that the early goal disrupted his team’s momentum but viewed it as a valuable learning experience.
“The early goal caught us off guard, and the second goal was due to a mistake from our goalkeeper, who might have been feeling pressured. In the second half, we made adjustments to strengthen our attack.
“These three matches haven’t fully showcased the players’ abilities. Typically, after five matches, we can better assess their performance,” said Muhd Rakhi.
Currently, SMK Seksyen 11 is in fifth place with six points, tied with SMK Tunku Anum Tunku Abdul Rahman and SMK Taman Desa Skudai (JDT Academy), while SMK Mutiara Impian sits in sixth place with four points from one win, one draw, and one loss. — June 29, 2025