04-05-2025
Portuguese legend Quaresma shines in Alor Star
KUALA LUMPUR: On an invitation, Portuguese legend Ricardo Quaresma came to Alor Star on Saturday and duly lit up the night.
Quaresma dazzled with one goal and one assist to lead Kedah All Stars to a thrilling 4-3 win over Malaysia All Stars in a friendly.
The much-anticipated match, jointly organised by Kedah and the Malaysia Football Museum, reunited fans with some of Malaysia's stars from the past.
Among the fan favourites who laced up their boots one more time were Nafuzi Zain, Helmi Eliza and Khairul Helmi for Kedah, while the Malaysia side paraded names like Amri Yahyah and Faiz Subri.
But it was the presence of Quaresma and his countryman Joao Tomas that enthralled the crowd.
Tomas wasted no time in making his presence felt, tapping home a well-placed cross to hand Kedah an early lead. The former Benfica striker soon doubled the advantage, finishing off a sublime assist from Quaresma.
Before the first half came to a close, Quaresma turned scorer, firing home Kedah's third goal.
Malaysia All Stars scored their first goal after the breather through a penalty by A. Jayakanthan. But Khairul Ismail restored Kedah's three-goal lead midway through the second half with a powerful finish.
There was late drama from the away team as Liew Kit Kong and Amar Rohidan struck in quick succession to narrow the deficit.
But Quaresma who had played for giants like Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea, was not to be denied his victorious outing in northern Malaysia.
