KUCHING: Kuching City FC rediscovered their winning touch and kept a clean sheet with a 2-0 victory over Sabah FC, earning praise from head coach, Aidil Sharin Sahak, for their defensive discipline.
Ajdin Mujagic was the difference-maker at Likas Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 5), scoring twice from long range in the fourth and 21st minutes to seal all three points for the visitors.
The victory was a welcome response from Kuching City following their disappointing 0-0 draw against Kelantan Red Warriors in the first leg of the FA Cup.
Aidil said the players showed the right attitude, character and mentality to respond strongly, particularly after failing to produce a good performance in the previous match.
“I think the main factor is the players’ attitude and character,” he said.
“Today they did massively well, from defending to attacking. I think everyone performed and I’m very happy that, you know, last game we didn’t have a good performance against Kelantan, 0-0.
“Today we came with a strong character, strong mentality. This is where I think we can see the improvement.”
Aidil was also pleased with the commitment shown by his players at the back, highlighting the importance of securing the clean sheet.
“The commitment, how they defend to keep the clean sheet today, which is good motivation for the players. This is where we have to be consistent,” he told a post-match press conference.
He also credited the Kuching City supporters who travelled to Likas Stadium for their backing, saying their encouragement helped the players.
The coach admitted the victory was particularly pleasing given the demanding schedule, with Kuching City having played several away matches in succession and faced limited recovery time.
“We have to give credit to the players for tonight’s game. They always focused and knew it wasn’t going to be easy because we played a lot of away games back-to-back and the resting period was too short,” he said.
Aidil added that the team made some rotations before travelling to Sabah, but the players executed the game plan effectively.
“I think the game plan today, the boys did very well and followed everything that was supposed to be done and trained,” he said.
