Meraikan 100 Tahun Piala Malaysia – Piala Malaysia 1978
Pulau Pinang 5–1 Singapura
9 April 1978
Bila lagi suasana begini?
Stadium yang penuh dibanjiri penonton pada hari perlawanan Piala Malaysia peringkat Kumpulan Utara.
Foto yang disunting dari buku ‘Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang’ menggambarkan keadaan di mana 23,000 penonton dilaporkan membanjiri Stadium Bandaraya, Pulau Pinang (anda boleh dapatkan buku tersebut di https://legasilagenda.com/shop). Penyokong yang ramai melimpah menutupi setiap ruang kosong yang ada sehingga ada sebahagian daripada mereka memanjat tiang-tiang bagi menyaksikan perlawanan antara Pulau Pinang dan juara bertahan Singapura.
‘Kramat Roar’, nama jolokan sorakan penyokong tuan rumah yang terkenal itu menggegar suasana dan menggugat ketenangan pemain-pemain Singapura. Sokongan padu penyokong menaikkan semangat pemain-pemain tuan rumah. Pasukan Pulau Pinang bukan sahaja membocor rekod tanpa kalah Singapura sejak final 1976 (Selangor 3 – Singapura 0) malah kekalahan 1-5 adalah kekalahan besar buat sekian lama bagi pasukan Singa itu.
Pasukan Pulau Pinang turun dengan garang menyerang kubu pertahanan lawan dari tiupan wisel permulaan. Sepertinya mahu membalas dendam setelah kekalahan 2–3 kepada Singapura di perlawanan akhir 1977.
Shukor Salleh membuka tirai jaringan gol Pulau Pinang pada minit ke-22 melalui tendangan percuma setelah ketua pasukan Ali Bakar dikasari oleh Hasli Ibrahim. Sepakan percuma yang diambil oleh jeneral padang itu melencung melepasi benteng pertahanan Singapura dan penjaga gol Eric Paine hanya sekadar terpaku melihat bola menewaskannya.
Gol kedua tuan rumah dijaringkan oleh Ali Bakar pada minit ke-53 yang menyambut umpanan dari sepakan percuma Radzi Ahmad.
Gerakan cantik satu-dua antara Shukor Salleh dan Fadzil Ismail menghasilkan gol ketiga pada minit ke-69. Fadzil meluru ke pintu gol setelah menghantar bole ke tepi padang menunggu hantaran semula. Akhirnya, Fadzil melompat tinggi menyambar hantaran bola dari Shukor. Sumbangan besar Shukor dalam perlawanan ini mendapat pengiktirafan apabila beliau dinamakan sebagai pemain terbaik perlawanan.
Pasukan Pulau Pinang di bawah kendalian jurulatih Lim Boon Kheng menambah dua gol lagi selepas itu melalui pemain dua beradik. Ali Bakar menjaringkan gol melalui sepakan penalti pada minit ke-77 dan adiknya, Isa Bakar menjaringkan gol terakhir malam itu dua minit sebelum tamat perlawanan. Gol tunggal Singapura dijaringkan oleh sepakan penalti M. Kumar pada minit ke-74.
Walaupun tewas di peringkat kumpulan, Singapura berjaya ke peringkat akhir. Namun begitu juara bertahan itu tewas kepada Selangor 2-4 di perlawanan akhir Piala Malaysia 1978.
Piala Malaysia mempunyai sejarah yang berwarna-warni dalam dunia bola sepak tanah air. Ia melahirkan ramai bintang bola sepak yang mengharumkan nama negara pada peringkat antarabangsa.
Perlawanan-perlawanan menarik minat penyokong bola sepak tempatan. Masyarakat bola sepak meluangkan masa mereka untuk beriadah dan menghargai pengorbanan dan sumbangan para pemain. Pastinya sekarang, para pemain juga merindukan sorakan penonton di stadium.
COVID-19 telah mengekang pergerakan kita, termasuk perlawanan-perlawanan bola sepak yang telah dijalankan tanpa kehadiran penonton. Baru-baru ini, kerajaan membenarkan penonton masuk ke stadium untuk pusingan ketiga TM Piala Malaysia yang bermula hari ini. Walaupun dengan SOP yang ketat, pastinya penyokong-penyokong tak sabar untuk berada di stadium menyorak dan memberi semangat kepada pasukan masing-masing.
Sama-sama kita doakan agar suasana beransur pulih dan kita dapat menjalani kehidupan dengan lebih selamat.
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Celebrating 100 Years of Malaysia Cup – 1978 Malaysia Cup
Penang 5–1 Singapore
April 9, 1978
When will we get this atmosphere again?
Here, the stadium was filled with spectators witnessing a North Zone match of the Malaysia Cup.
This exclusive photo, taken from our book Dato’ Shukor Salleh – Jeneral Padang (available to order at https://legasilagenda.com/shop), illustrates the atmosphere of 23,000 spectators that had flooded City Stadium, Penang. Crowds of fans covered every space available; some even climbed poles to not miss a second of the match between Penang and defending champions, Singapore.
“Kramat Roar”, the nickname of the home fans’ famous cheer, shook the stadium and disrupted the Singaporean players’ focus. The strong support from their supporters lifted the spirits of home players. Not only did the Penang team break Singapore’s record of being undefeated since the 1976 final (Selangor 3 – 0 Singapore) but the 1–5 defeat was their biggest in a long time.
Penang attacked their opponent’s defence fiercely from the first whistle blow. It was evident they wanted revenge after a 2–3 defeat to Singapore in the 1977 final.
Shukor Salleh scored Penang’s first goal in the 22nd minute through a free kick after team captain Ali Bakar was tackled by Hasli Ibrahim. The free kick taken by the general of the field swerved past Singapore’s defence line and goalkeeper Eric Paine, who was left stunned.
Penang’s second goal was scored by Ali Bakar in teh 53rd minute, after receiving the ball from Radzi Ahmad’s free kick.
A spectacular one-two move between Shukor Salleh and Fadzil Ismail resulted in the third goal in the 69th minute. Fadzil rushed to the goal after sending the ball to the field’s side, waiting for it to be passed back. Finally, Fadzil jumped high to secure the ball, which was passed from Shukor. Shukor’s contributions in the match received the recognition it deserved when he was named man of the match.
The team under coach Lim Boon Kheng added two more goals through two brothers on the field. Ali Bakar scored a penalty kick in the 77th minute, while his brother Isa Bakar scored the final goal of the match merely two minutes before it ended. Singapore’s sole goal was scored by M. Kumar’s penalty kick in the 74th minute.
Despite losing to Penang in the group stage, Singapore managed to head all the way to the finals. However, the defending champions lost to Selangor 2–4 in the 1978 Malaysia Cup final.
The Malaysia Cup has made a notable mark in local football history. It gave birth to many football stars who have brought our country’s name to the world stage.
Riveting matches have attracted the interest of many local fans. The football community spends their time playing the sport and appreciating the sacrifices and contributions of local players. During this time, players also miss the cheers of spectators in the stadium.
COVID-19 has restricted our movements, including football matches, which carried on without spectators. Recently, the government has allowed a limited number of spectators to enter the stadium for the third round of the TM Malaysia Cup, which starts today. Even with strict SOPs in place, surely fans and players alike are excited for their return and cheering on their respective teams.
We hope our situation will gradually improve and that we can continue to lead a safer life.
