Written by: Khalis Rifhan
Despite succumbing to their fourth consecutive loss in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League following a 3-0 defeat by Home United, Harimau Muda coach Razip Ismail believed his side had put up a good fight against the league’s powerhouse.
“I think performance-wise we are better, and especially in the second half we improved from the last game but we tend to let in goals late in the game,” said Razip after the match at Pasir Gudang Stadium.
“My boys put up a very good fight, but experience-wise they (Home United) are better because they have a lot of good players there.
“When we are attacking, at the back we are loose and lost concentration. This is what I remind my players every time before the game,” added the former Kuala Lumpur head coach.
With experienced campaigner Faizat Ghazli joining the Malaysian Under-23 team, Harimau have found it tough to find the net, with only a goal to their name thus far in the S.League.
“It is very difficult for us to play against them even though we got a few chances. The only thing is we couldn’t score. At least if we scored one goal it can be a different game maybe but I think my players tried their very best,” explained the 52-year old.
For the Protectors coach Lee Lim Saeng, he was no doubt pleased to return to winning ways after suffering back-to-back defeats in all competitions.
“As a coach I am very happy. Thanks to my players we get three points in S.League although we lost in AFC Cup. It is good morale for the players,” said Lee
Lee also gave special mention to two-goal hero Fazrul Nawaz and Bruno Castanheira who were instrumental in their win.
“Fazrul Nawas and Bruno were injured for a long time. They came back into the team in tonight’s match, they contributed to the team so I am very happy to see them. Hopefully they don’t get injured anymore,” added the former South Korean international