National player Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin broke the deadlock in the 13th minute.

By Joseph Kaos jr

KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu coach E. Elavarasan heaved a huge sigh of relief after watching his men pick up their first win in the Super League with a 2-0 victory over Perak at the Sultan Ismail Stadium.

The Turtles had drawn two and lost three of their last five matches since the season kicked off on Jan 8.

The win lifted the east coast side from the bottom of the 12-team standings into 11th place.

National player Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin (pic) broke the deadlock in the 12th minute when he latched onto a header by Jean Emmanuel Owona and slot the ball past goalkeeper Farizal Marlias in a one-on-one situation.

Cameroon’s Effa Owona, last season’s joint top scorer, then opened his account for the season – just 15 seconds after the break. Receiving a pin-point through pass from winger G. Puvaneswaran, Owona had no problem slotting the ball past the onrushing Farizal.

Terengganu were clearly the better team throughout the game as they dominated possession and shots on goal.

Perak can thank their solid Brazilian centre-back Rafael Souza for being a tower of strength in keeping the home side’s attack at bay.

The skies opened up in the 75th minute and play became disjointed due to the waterlogged pitch.

Perak’s Nazri Kamal and Terengganu’s Ismail Faruqi were both shown the red card by referee Nagor Amir Noor Mohamed in the 89th minute for fighting.

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