Kedah's Sandro Mendonca gains cult hero status after Malaysia Cup heroics

SANDRO Mendonca is now a cult hero in Kedah, thanks to his heroics in the Malaysia Cup semi-final.

The Brazilian netted a brace in the 2-0 win over Felda United in Saturday’s semi-final return leg in Alor Star for a 3-1 aggregate success to earn his side their third straight appearance in the final.

Mendonca, now the leading scorer in the Malaysia Cup with nine goals, wants to help Kedah retain their title at Shah Alam Stadium on Nov 4 after missing out last year’s final following a back injury.

The 34-year-old said the win over Felda was sweet as his side were without regulars Liridon Krasniqi, Khairul Helmi Johari and Ken Ilso.

“I am very happy with the result. Everyone worked hard and we achieved this without key players. It is a great feeling for me as my career almost ended last season due to a back problem,” said Mendonca.

“Credit to Felda as they gave us a tough time here. We must thank our fans for giving us the extra edge for the win.

“I want to help Kedah successfully defend their title. It will be a bonus if I can also finish as the top goalscorer.”

Reaching the final again is a huge achievement considering that Kedah lost their coach Tan Cheng Hoe in June following his decision to resign and join national coach Nelo Vingada as his assistant.

Many considered Cheng Hoe’s replacement Nidzam Adzha Yusoff as a weak coach but the former international has now earned the respect of his critics following’s Kedah fine cup run.

Nidzam attributed his side’s success to teamwork.

“I must thank Mendonca for scoring two brilliant goals. It was tough without three regulars. It has so far been a good season for us and we want to end it on a high note,” said Nidzam.

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Keywords: Malaysia Cup, Sandro Mendonca, Kedah football team

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