Aiman Nazirmuddin
Football Tribe Malaysia
Kedah Head Coach Aidil Sharin Sahak regarded his 0-2 defeat to Terengganu FC in the Malaysia Cup at Darul Aman Stadium yesterday as a very difficult one to take.
“I think our best chance is to score a goal was in the second half, [where we had] at least seven to eight chances.”
“This is football, we lost for the first time this season [at home] in Darul Aman with over ten missed attempts despite a single goal and perhaps luck did not help us in tonight’s game.
“All the players have given 100 percent, and just in [the final third] we failed. I’m not sure what the factors are and we need to fix the shortcomings if we are to succeed.”
Aidil was also disappointed to not be able to select defender Renan Alves in the next game as he picked up a yellow card yesterday.
“Alves will be suspended for the next game because he has collected two yellow cards, so again we will be playing without a key player.”
Meanwhile, Aidil also dismissed the fatigue behind his squad as they failed to maintain his unbeaten record at Darul Aman Stadium this season.
“We cannot justify fatigue and we should be more excited after the FA Cup victory and victory in Seremban. Even though we lost tonight, I still believe in all of my players because it is football and most importantly the players have given 100 percent for every game for the fans.”
“To qualify for the quarterfinals, we have to forget tonight’s defeat as this is not our first time losing and we have to look forward to the next match against PKNS,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pahang manager Dollah Salleh did not want his men to feel comfortable after picking up six points from two group games in their current Malaysia Cup competition.
On the other hand, he expects Tok Gajah to maintain their consistency and high standards in the next four games.
“Six points does not mean we can be happy.
“Out main focus will be to collect another three points when we meet Sabah at Likas Stadium on August 17,” he said.
Commenting on a 3-0 victory over Perak last night, Dollah praised the discipline shown by the players who successfully defended their clean sheet through the entier game.
He said everything looked like it had been put into practice, and he was pleased with the victory.
“This victory also relieves the pressure of facing Perak. Therefore, credit must be given to the players who have managed to secure the three points,” he said.
In the match, three Pahang goals were scored by Herold Goulon in the 40th minute, were followed by Saddil Ramdani (67) and Lazarus Kaimbi (81).