KELANTAN FIND POSITIVES DESPITE HEAVY DEFEAT TO JDT

ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Kelantan Darul Naim (KDN) FC are taking the positives from their 6-1 thrashing by defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in the Super League match at Stadium Sultan Ibrahim here last night. 

Assistant head coach Rezal Zambery Yahya said the players performed well and held off the Southern Tigers until the final five minutes of the first half when they conceded two goals.

“The plan to hold out for the first 40 minutes worked, but perhaps due to fatigue and a loss of focus when under pressure, we ended up conceding six goals.

“However, there are positives to take from the game, as we managed to score and create dangerous moves,” he said during the post-match press conference last night.

He said one area which requires improvement is the attack, as the forwards were too hasty, resulting in the loss of possession and failure to control the game.

Rezal Zambery also said the team will now focus on their next match against Negeri Sembilan FC (NSFC) at Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium this Friday, as they fight to climb out of the bottom of the league standings.

He said import players Oday Kharoub and Michal Jerabek, who were not available last night, will play in the upcoming match.

Meanwhile, JDT head coach Hector Bidoglio said the players continued to show excellent performances and were eager to win.

“I see the players are not tired even though they played against Shanghai Port FC in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) four days ago,” he said.

He praised Bergson Da Silva for scoring a hattrick and Mohd Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi for contributing two goals in their win.

-- BERNAMA