Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Nine-man Courts Young Lions registered their first win in the 2014 Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League as they defeated Harimau Muda 3-2 at Pasir Gudang Stadium on Sunday night.

The Young Lions twice relinquished the lead in the game and had to play with a man less after Sheikh Abdul Hadi received his marching orders for a second bookable offence 10 minutes after the break.

Second half substitute Ammirul Emmran then saw red in the dying minutes after referee W.Ravisanthiran flashed a second yellow card to the Young Lions midfielder.

Sahil Suhaimi and Sherif El-Masri struck for the visitors in each half, but they were pegged back each time by Harimau’s Ramzi Sufian and Ramzi Haziq.

However Aide Iskandar’s side claimed all three points as midfield wizard Jordan Webb struck nine minutes before the end to gift the visitors their first win of the season.

Aide played a three-pronged attack centred around targetman Sahil, with Jordan Webb and Sherif El-Masri supporting from the flank.

The lively Sahil was making a nuisance of himself in the final third but the striker displayed poor decision-making several times instead as he went for goal despite the sea of yellow shirts surrounding him.

But Sahil, captaining the side in the absence of Al-Qaasimy,  did not have to wait long for his first goal of the season.

Midfield wizard Webb went on a trademark mazy run down the left channel in the 20th minute and sent in a low-driven ball to the penalty box which Sahil received, and he made no mistake from close range as he poked it past the hapless Harimau goalkeeper Solehin Mamat.

The hosts were on the backpedal for most of the first half but they did give the Young Lions a few scares soon after although they were let down by poor finishing.

But Harimau’s persistence finally paid off minutes before the interval.

Haziq squared the ball from the byline and Sufian tucked it beyond Young Lions custodian Syazwan Buhari in the 43th minute.

Although Harimau enjoyed a strong end to the first-half, they conceded almost right after the restart as they gave a spot-kick away after Annas Rahmat handled the ball in the box in the 49th minute.

Sherif duly stepped up for the penalty and he tucked the ball into the bottom left corner for Young Lions’ second goal of the match.

But the game was back to square one yet again seven minutes later as Young Lions’ Hadi brought down Sufian in the penalty box and saw red as he was shown a second yellow card by referee W.Ravishanthiran. Haziq then scored from the ensuing spot-kick to level the score at two apiece.

The final quarter of the match saw both teams vigorously piling the pressure in search of the winner and it would be the Young Lions who succeeded.

While the hosts kept Young Lions goalkeeper Syazwan busy with their hopeful attempts from distance, the visitors saw Webb rose the highest to nod in El-Masri’s corner in the 81st minute.

With this win, the Courts Young Lions register their first victory in the league while the hosts Harimau Muda continue their dismal form.