KOTA BARU: Kelantan did just enough to beat 10-man Sabah 2-1 in the Malaysia Cup quarter-final first leg at the Sultan Muhd IV Stadium on Saturday.
Kelantan took the lead in the 29th minute when Baktyiar Duishobekov headed in Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat's corner kick.
Sabah were a man down after Randy Baruh was flashed a red card for rough play in the 39th minute.
However, the numerical disadvantage did not deter Sabah as they equalised through forward Hamran Peter's header two minutes before half-time.
Kelantan regained their lead in the 45th minute after the referee awarded the former champions a penalty kick.
Nik Akif Syahiran made no mistakes from the spot.
Both teams had chances after the breather but the score remained until the final whistle.
Sabah will host the return leg in Kota Kinabalu next week.