SINTOK â Defending champions Penang made a fabulous start to their title defence in the 100PLUS Super Cup when they blasted Terengganu 5-0 in the opening match of Group A that was played at the University Utara Malaysia Field here in Sintok.
Mohd Danish Afiq Mohd Desa grabbed a brace with goals in the ninth and 34th minute to be followed by further goals from Mohd Shamer Kutty Abba (12th minute), Muhd Aizat Shaharuddin (40th) and Muhd Khairil Hairul Azman.
âIt is always a pressure to play as the defending champions,â said Penang coach Azhar Abdul Rahman. âWe only had eight players from the squad last year, so there are some changes for sure.
âFor this time round, we expect the team from Perak and also from Kuala Lumpur to give us a hard time. But we are confident that we can defend the title we won last year.â
In the other match in the group, Putrajaya held southerners Johor to a scoreless draw.
Over in Group B, as expected favourites Kuala Lumpur pummeled Labuan 10-2 while Selangor thrashed Melaka 5-1.
In Group C, Kelantan edged Perak 1-0 as Negeri Sembilan beat Pahang 2-0 and Perlis overcame Sarawak 3-1 in Group D.
The 100PLUS Super Cup and the Ministry of Education League are among several youth programmes and competitions supported by 100PLUS, Malaysiaâs leading isotonic beverage.
The others include the 100PLUS Malaysian Junior Golf Open and the 100PLUS National Junior Badminton Circuit. 100PLUS is recommended by the National Sports Council.
