KUCHING: Kuching City FC were held to a goalless draw by 10-man Kelantan City FC in their Malaysia FA Cup quarter-final first leg last night (Sept 20), leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the return match.
Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak said his players became too eager and tense in their attempts to break the deadlock, resulting in missed opportunities against the hosts.
“I think today we tried too hard. The boys couldn’t even make one goal because they were too eager to score and too tense,” he said after the match at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kelantan.
Aidil said his team failed to make the most of their numerical advantage after Kelantan City were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute following Ahmad Nazri Muhamad’s red card for a challenge on Ramadhan Saifullah.
“When we play against 10 men, we didn’t take advantage. Instead, we got another unnecessary card,” he said.
Kuching City were then reduced to 10 men themselves when substitute Jerome Mpacko Etame was sent off in the 79th minute for a challenge on a Kelantan City defender.
The dismissals resulted in both sides finishing the match with 10 players, with neither able to find the decisive goal.
Kuching City came close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute after a mistake by Kelantan City goalkeeper Yuaiman Mat Jusoh, but Adjin Mujagic’s effort went over the bar.
The hosts responded with a chance of their own in the 35th minute, but their effort was kept out by Kuching City goalkeeper Muhammad Haziq Nadzli.
Despite the stalemate, Aidil was pleased with the effort from his players, highlighting their dominance in possession and continued attempts to find a goal.
“We are always possession-wise, 70 per cent more than the opponent. Even when they had 10, we still dominated the game and tried to go forward and get a goal.
“But even in the last minute, you can see the ball didn’t want to go into the net and hit the post. This is football, we have to accept it,” he said.
Aidil said the team would now use the FIFA break to reset after a demanding run of eight consecutive away matches.
He said the return leg, scheduled for Oct 10, would provide Kuching City with an opportunity to turn the tie in their favour, particularly with home advantage.
“We will try to reset ourselves. I know how the boys feel because eight away games in a row, not coming back home, changing a lot of hotels and the beds not used to them.
“This is where I will definitely reset them during this FIFA break and we will come back stronger,” he said.
