KUCHING: Immigration FC head coach Yusri Che Lah has acknowledged that his side were outclassed by a resurgent Kuching City FC, describing them as “not the Kuching of old” after suffering a 4-0 defeat at the State Stadium here last night (Sept 29).
The visitors were missing several key players due to injury, including Eduardo Sosa, Elvis Kamsoba, Halim Saari, and Rafael Holstein, forcing Yusri to rely on less-experienced replacements.
“Although we conceded a heavy scoreline, the players gave their best, especially with a depleted squad. The mistakes we made were mostly due to lapses in focus,” he told the post-match press conference last night (Sept 29).
Yusri noted that Kuching City’s current strength stems from their depth and quality, which has made them a very different side from previous seasons.
“The team today is very different under head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak, with the quality players they have. We need to consider that if a team doesn’t have quality players, their performance is likely to be similar to any other team.
“However, the presence of quality players, both foreign and local, elevates a team to a higher level, as we’ve seen with Kuching today. Congratulations to Aidil for building such a strong squad.
“When they have a full squad, the difference is clear. Even last season, when we came here, the gap wasn’t as obvious. This season, you can see just how solid Kuching City has become,” he said.
He added that Kuching does not rely on a few key players, and with minimal injuries, the squad has been able to remain cohesive and consistently strong.
The Immigration coach also acknowledged his side’s struggles in creating scoring opportunities.
“We failed to vary our attacking patterns, which limited our chances. In the first half, we had almost none, and only slightly improved in the second half,” he explained.
Kuching City secured a 4-0 victory over Immigration FC through goals from Ramadhan Saifullah, a brace from Ahmad Danial Ahmad Asri, and Petrus Shitembi — a result that lifted Aidil’s side to fourth in the league.
