Written by: Muhammad Yazid

Tanjong Pagar United coach Patrick Vallee was extremely gutted after seeing his side succumb to a 2-1 loss to Albirex Niigata on Wednesday night.

“I feel very disappointed for the club, fans and everyone in Tanjong Pagar,” he said.

“It is sad that we lost because we managed the game well and it was one of the best games we have ever played, creating so many chances.

“However, I cannot say that we deserved to win because Albirex were good too.

“This season is not ours because everything is against us; performances are not matching the results.”

Vallee believed that a missed penalty by Kamel Ramdani in the first half was the game’s turning point, as the midfielder hit the upright after Kento Nagasaki opened the accounts for the Japanese

“I cannot blame Ramdani because he has a good eye for scoring in penalties and it was unlucky he hit the post. Anyway we did create chances after the penalty,” he said.

“Nobody has the right to say anything against any of my players.”

Despite the defeat, the Frenchman was pleased with the attitude of his charges.

“I am proud of their team spirit because everyone gave their best. I am sincerely happy with this team even if the results are not on our side.”

“If we keep playing like this and not give up, we will bounce back.”

Vallee’s counterpart, Tatsuyuki Okuyama, was delighted with the win as Albirex inched closer to the peak of the table.

“This is our target of the season and we are doing very well. We just want to play good football and get good results,” he said.

“We were very good in attacking today and should have scored more goals.”

The tactician believed that his side’s second goal was the highlight of the victory.

“I think that the second goal was the most important thing for us because we worked very hard for it,” he mentioned.

“2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in football, but I am happy that we got all three points.”