KUCHING: Kuching City FC head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak remained optimistic despite his team trailing 1-0 to Sabah FC.
“One nil is still possible, and we still have a good 90 minutes to play.
“Hopefully, we’ll need a bit of luck to get a goal against them,” he said.
There was a sense of optimism that his team could turn things around in the second leg of the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals at Stadium Likas.
Aidil admitted that while his side showed resilience, they were once again undone by mistakes on set pieces, a recurring issue from their previous match.
“Basically, it’s the same mistake we made in the last game – set pieces again.
“Overall, the boys gave a good performance. Sabah is a strong team, but I believe we dominated the game,” he told Sarawak Tribune after the match at the Sarawak State Stadium on Sunday (Dec 15).
Aidil acknowledged his team’s effort but stressed the need for improvement in defending set pieces.
“We still have to learn, and we cannot make the same bad habit of conceding from set pieces, like last game and today,” he added.
When asked about the availability of key players Jimmy Raymond and Daniel Amier, who are currently playing for the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024, Aidil confirmed that their return would depend on Malaysia’s national team qualification outcome.
“If Malaysia doesn’t qualify, definitely Jimmy and Daniel will be back before the next game.
“It will be a good addition for us as they have been key players. But, of course, supporting the national team is our top priority,” he said.
With James Okwuosa suspended for the next match due to a yellow card, Aidil sees this as an opportunity for Jordan Mintah to step in.
“That will give Jordan the chance to play because of the quota,” Aidil added.
He also said the potential changes would mean that Rodney Celvin would return to play in defence alongside Yuki Tanigawa, strengthening their backline.
“We’ll just continue with our game plan,” Aidil added, remaining hopeful for a positive result in the second leg.
Sabah’s Muhammad Farhan Roslan scored the only goal of the match to give his team a 1-0 lead.
The two teams will meet again on Dec 23 at Stadium Likas for the second leg of the quarter-final.
