Written by: Khalis Rifhan

There were nervy moments for Warriors FC when they allowed Harimau Muda to claw their way back into the game. Although Warriors eventually secured a 4-2 victory, Alex Weaver was never in doubt of his players’ capability and knew the three points will be in their bags.

“The first goal, it was a deflected goal and that was quite unfortunate,” said Weaver after the match.

“We gave the ball away carelessly and did not close it down quickly. The lads had a shocker and Hassan (Sunny) would have save it but it had taken a deflection and gone in.”

Marin Vidosevic’s early lead for the Warriors was cancelled out by a goal from Naim Zakaria before Ramzi Sufian struck midway through the first half for Harimau.

Seeking to bring home maximum points and keep their title hopes alive, Warriors regrouped and mounted a resurgence through a brace from Nicholas Velez and a spot-kick by Miroslav Pejic.

“They are back again at 1-1 but we looked comfortable throughout the game. So I was pleased with how we were going about with things and they had that second goal,” explained Weaver.

“That puts us in a difficult position but we were in control of things. We knew what we were capable of and it was a matter of maintaining focus and I was confident we will get back in the game,” added the Warriors tactician.

While Weaver can afford a smile during the post-match interview, it was a rather gloomy affair for Harimau’s coach Razip Ismail as he brought out the sword after seeing his players commit blunders in the match.

“Three goals we let in was our own mistake. Except for the penalty, I don’t think it is a penalty. When we make a lot of mistakes, it is good for the opponents. That is what happened in the first half,” explained Razip.

“We give room to them and with the mistakes, it looked bad for us.”

But Razip was mindful of his developing side needing more experience as he softened praised the lads for their energy and effort even though they were trailing in the match.

“They fought very hard. They came back from one goal down and took the lead. They work very hard until the second goal. When the third and fourth goal came, they lose their concentration,” added the former Kuala Lumpur FA coach.

“Second half they tried to hold the opponents and try to score goal. The way they defend in the second half, it is very good.

“Overall I am satisfied but the main problem is our own mistake.”