SAFEE Sali made the most of a rare starting opportunity to fire Kuala Lumpur to a 2-1 win over Kedah in the Super League in Cheras on Saturday as the club completed an entire top-flight league campaign unbeaten at home for the first time since 1999.
Handed the captain’s armband in his first start of the season, Safee put Kuala Lumpur 2-0 ahead after Romel Morales had scored from the spot before Tchetche Kipre reduced the arrears for Kedah.
Safee maintained his record of scoring at least one goal in the Super League every year since 2008, except in 2012 when he played in Indonesia, while netting his first goal in his second spell with Kuala Lumpur after scoring 24 goals for the city side from 2003 to 2005.
With regular captain Paulo Josue missing due to a calf injury, Kuala Lumpur coach Bojan Hodak handed Safee the responsibility of leading the side in their final home league game as Nik Shahrul Azim Halim and Kenny Pallraj were also restored to the starting XI.
“Safee was fresh and knows how to play so today I told him he would get 45-60 minutes and we need his quality,” said Hodak, after restricting Safee to nine substitute appearances this season. “Maybe he cannot survive this pace in the Super League for 90 minutes but in the end he gave me 45 quality minutes, he knows where to be and he scored.”
The win – Kuala Lumpur’s third in a row over Kedah at home – stretched their unbeaten run in Cheras to 16 matches in all competitions since 2019, just one short of the club record.
It also ensured Kuala Lumpur remained unbeaten at home this season while extending their current unbeaten run to 11 matches following a fourth consecutive win.
“A very tough match against Kedah who are the best team in the league after JDT,” said Hodak. “They played quite well in the first half but we were better when we scored two early goals. But we conceded one goal which was why we were under pressure in the second half.
“Eleven matches we didn’t lose even without Paulo today and with some long-term injuries. We deserved to win.”
Safee made his presence felt as early as the second minute when his cutback from the byline found Morales whose low shot was stopped by goalkeeper Shahril Saari.
Kuala Lumpur were awarded a penalty when the referee adjudged Kedah defender Loqman Hakim Marzuki was standing in the penalty area as Kamal Azizi Zabri’s long-range drive hit his hand on the edge of the box. Morales converted from the spot to put Kuala Lumpur 1-0 up in the sixth minute.
Safee made it 2-0 in the 26th minute when he stuck a leg out to direct J. Partiban’s cross past Shahril. The goal came nearly 16 years after his last goal for Kuala Lumpur in a 2005 FA Cup semi-final against Perak.
Kipre, who struck two late goals to give Kedah a 3-2 win over Kuala Lumpur in Alor Star earlier this year, reduced the arrears in the 34th minute when he flicked the ball from a corner put in to the near post and it looped over goalkeeper Kevin Mendoza.
Kedah pressed hard looking for the equaliser in the second half and Kipre almost drew the visitors level but volleyed over from close-range with Mendoza at his mercy.
Mendoza also denied Kipre in the 82nd minute when the Ivorian’s fiercely-struck fee-kick flew through the wall and took a deflection along the way but the goalkeeper stood rock-solid.
Kedah’s bid to finish runners-up to eight-time champions Johor Darul Ta’zim suffered a minor setback though they remain second in the standings.
“Overall it was a good game. I knew it’s not easy to come here against KL where they are unbeaten for a long time. Credit to KL for getting three points but my boys gave everything tonight,” said Kedah coach Aidil Sharin Sahak, who was without Lebanon’s Rabih Ataya and Liberia striker Kpah Sherman, who are away on international duty.