KUALA LUMPUR: Kelantan snatched a 3-3 draw against defending champions Selangor after Manaf Mamat scored deep into stoppage-time in a Malaysia Cup Group B match at the Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday.
Substitute Manaf's tame shot, after seven minutes were added on, trickled under Selangor goalkeeper Norazlan Razali to leave both teams tied on four points, one ahead of Kuala Lumpur, who defeated Pahang 2-0 on Wednesday.
Patrick Wleh scored twice to seemingly put Selangor on course for the win with a 3-1 lead but Kelantan's power of recovery proved too much for Selangor.
Kedah are also comfortably perched on top of Group A after a 2-0 win over Kuala Terengganu T-Team put them four points clear of Premier League side Johor.
Terengganu, with caretaker coach Mustafa Kamal Wahab in charge after Mike Mulvey was relieved of his duties, ended a 10-match unbeaten run for Felda United since they moved to the Tun Razak Stadium in Jengka thanks to Norshahrul Idlan Talaha's goal in a 1-0 win.
The result left all four teams in Group D, including Malacca and Negri Sembilan, level on three points.
After routing Terengganu 6-1 in a Super League match last weekend, Kelantan oozed confidence and should have gone ahead in the 13th minute.
Baze Ilijoski, who scored four goals in the last match, blazed over from close range with the goal gaping after Brendan Gan's attempt was only parried by Norazlan Razali, who minutes earlier had a punched away a drive by Wander Luiz.
Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat then produced two fine blocks for Kelantan to deny Selangor winger R. Gopinathan, only to be beaten on the half-hour mark.
Khairul Fahmi could only push a low effort by Wleh off a corner-kick as far as Mauro Olivi, who needed no invitation to fire the loose ball into goal for his sixth strike of the season.
Wleh headed in Selangor's second goal six minutes before the break after easily winning an aerial duel with Norhafiz Zamani Misbah to a cross by Raimi Md Nor.
Olivi nearly made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute when his curling free-kick beat Khairul Fahmi but bounced off the crossbar before Kelantan reduced the deficit seconds before half-time.
Norazlan was penalised by the referee for holding on to the ball too long and Indra Putra Mahayuddin placed the indirect free-kick inside the box into the path of Wander Luiz, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Wleh restored Selangor's two-goal advantage four minutes into the second half when he rolled the ball past Khairul Fahmi after Gopinathan intercepted Margaro Gomis' lazy pass in midfield.
Liberia international Wleh was booked for simulation when he tried to go round Khairul Fahmi for his hat-trick before taking a tumble although there did appear to be contact, if minimal.
Kelantan substitute Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor pulled it back to 3-2 in the 72nd minute with a brilliant curling strike from the edge of the box before Manaf's late heroics made up for several other near misses by Kelantan.
New Zealand international Shane Smeltz scored his first goals for Kedah since joining in the mid-season transfer window at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu.
Smeltz, who scored against Italy in a 1-1 draw at the 2010 World Cup, fired Kedah ahead in the eighth minute from a goalmouth melee before turning in a pass from Syazwan Zainon seven minutes later to make it 2-0.