Boston Brown Gets Negri back in final




BY PERCY D’CRUZ

MALACCA: Negri Sembilan for long the unfashionable side of Malaysian football took a step closer to ending their 58-year Malaysia Cup drought when they defeated star-studded Malacca Telekom 2-0 in their second-leg semi-finals at the Hang Jebat Stadium here last night.

After a 1-1 first-leg draw at Paroi last weekend, Negri this season's Super League winners and 2003 FA Cup champions made sure of keeping the Sept 16 Cup final date with goals through Christian Beckamango (17th) and Buston Brown (51st) in either half to complete a 3-1 aggregate win.

Negri last won the Cup in 1948. In 2000 the Deer again made the final only to bow out 0-2 to Perak.

It was the seventh meeting between the two teams this season and Negri maintained their unbeaten run, which includes four wins and three draws.

The home crowd had almost something to cheer when Indonesian midfielder Ponaryo Astaman floated a deep lob on the left in the third minute but however, an unmarked Rudie Ramli's connection from 25m out glazed the bar.

Negri's first look at Telekom's goal came off an eighth minute free kick on the edge of the box. However, Noel Rodwell's curling shot to the left top hand corner was foiled by keeper Mohd Suffian Abdul Rahman.

The visitors' onslaught eventually reaped dividends in the 17th minute when an unmarked Liberian Buston Brown ran unchallenged on the right and his teasing cross eluded two back-pedalling Telekom defender's before Beckamengo applied the finishing touches from close range.

With the rain pouring amidst claps of thunder, both sides experienced near misses within minutes.

In the 32nd minute, Negri keeper Azizon pulled up a gallant save robbing the ball off Zainuddin Ariffin's foot and in the next minute Anuar Jusoh's attempt in the midst of a Telekom goal-bound scramble saw the ball hit the upright.

The rain turned into a steady drizzle as the second-half commenced and the game was virtually out of Telekom's reach in the 51st minute.

Off a raid from the left, Rodwell's fired a fierce grounder on the run which custodian Mohd Sufffian failed to hold. Brown was on hand to stab the loose ball home.