TEMERLOH: Sri Pahang FC head coach Fandi Ahmad expressed his disappointment when his squad was forced to a 1-1 draw against Selangor FC in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup round of 16 at the Temerloh Municipal Council Stadium here last night.
Fandi said Sri Pahang players had shown excellent performance by dominating the game against the Red Giants.
“We dominated the match more and created many chances, especially in the second half.
“Our players performed very well, worked hard and followed every instruction given but mistakes in the final minutes caused us to draw,” he said at a press conference immediately after the match ended.
The Singapore legend said the result could have been different if they had managed to convert their chances into goals.
Meanwhile, he praised the great performances of Sean Eugene Selvaraj and Sergio Fabian Aguero who worked hard to mobilise Sri Pahang’s attack machine.
He also admitted that his men will face a tougher task when facing Selangor FC in the return match with a faster game.
Meanwhile, Selangor FC manager Abdifitaah Mohamed Hassan said his plans were not working out due to the slippery pitch so he had to play with long passes.
“We have a game strategy to win but the pitch condition makes it difficult to implement compared to our opponents. However, we managed to create so many chances and we should have scored more goals to win,” he said.
Abdifitaah said his coaching squad also made mistakes when trying to clear the ball out of the danger zone, to allow the Elephants to net the lead goal.
Commenting on their lethal striker, Faisal Abdul Halim who was listed in the starting lineup, he believes the player is now getting fitter and fast gaining his slick moves again.
“I watched Faisal during training and he seemed to have regained his great touches, hopefully he can continue to help us,” he said while admitting that he has high hopes for his club to beat Sri Pahang in the return match on Dec 1. – Bernama
