KUCHING: Kuching City FC will continue to play open, attacking football despite holding a 3-1 advantage over DPMM FC.
The Cats’ head coach, Aidil Sharin Sahak, was firm that his men will maintain their attacking approach in the return leg following last night’s first-leg Malaysia Cup quarter-final win in Bandar Seri Begawan.
Aidil credited his players for their discipline and hard work in executing the game plan at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, while also acknowledging DPMM’s effort in making the contest competitive.
“They worked very well and worked very hard against us, but we knew how we wanted to come here and how we wanted to execute the game plan. I think the boys did very well,” he said.
The Singaporean felt Kuching City were in full control in the opening half, limiting the hosts’ attacking opportunities before taking the lead through Jerome Mpacko Etame in the 39th minute.
“We dominated the first half and DPMM had no chance. In the second half, we became a little more open because we were leading 1-0,” Aidil said during the post-match press conference.
DPMM were handed a lifeline when skipper James Okwuosa inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, but Kuching City quickly regained control after goalkeeper Muhammad Haimie Abdullah Nyaring conceded an own goal.
Winger Muhammad Ramadhan Saifullah later sealed the victory with a late strike, giving the Cats a healthy advantage heading into the return leg.
Aidil, however, was quick to downplay the margin, stressing that mistakes are part of the game and that no individual should be blamed.
He also reminded his players that the job is only half done, with the second leg scheduled for Feb 14 at the Sarawak State Stadium.
“This is only one half. We need to work harder again and must not feel comfortable. We need to recover well and play better because at home, we will still play open football.
“Even against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), we don’t defend – we play open football and want to entertain the fans,” he said.
The Kuching City coach added that exciting, attacking football is the club’s way of giving back to supporters, and insisted his side would not adopt a defensive approach in front of their home crowd as they chase a place in the Malaysia Cup semi-finals.
