UPHILL BATTLE AWAITS PENANG FC IN ISKANDAR PUTERI

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 18 (Bernama) — Penang FC head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail admitted that his squad faces a tough task against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the FA Cup quarter-final second leg at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium (SSI) in Iskandar Puteri next week.

However, he is optimistic that the fighting spirit and high commitment shown by his men during the first leg at the Bandaraya Stadium will be an important lesson to face the challenge on the opponent’s ground.

“I admit that the 90 minutes at SSI will be very, very difficult. That is their home ground and of course JDT will not give us any space.

bootstrap slideshow

“But I hope what the players showed tonight can continue. If they maintain the same focus and spirit, God willing, we can compete,” he said at a press conference after the match ended last night.

He also stressed that it would not be easy for his team to last more than 45 minutes after the absence of Ahmad Irfan Mohd Noor who was shown a red card in the final minute of the half.

However, Wan Rohaimi is still proud of the high fighting spirit displayed by his men who continued to play with full discipline and courage until the final whistle.

The positive result, he said, is enough to prove the true capabilities of the Black Panthers this season after they went through a difficult journey in the Super League which saw them record only one win, one draw and four losses from six matches.

Meanwhile, JDT head coach Xisco Munoz admitted that his team should have converted more of the opportunities provided to ensure a more comfortable victory, besides emphasising the need to improve their finishing touch ahead of the return match.

“Of course we can perform better. We created many chances but failed to finish them. In football, when we reach the final third, we need to be more composed and show better quality to complete our moves,” he said.

He also admitted that the slippery pitch due to the rain also made it difficult for his team to play, but that was no excuse not to perform better.

With a thin margin, Munoz hopes the Southern Tigers can improve their attacking sharpness and improve their finishing quality to secure a place in the semi-finals.

The dramatic match that took place at Bandaraya Stadium last night saw JDT beat Penang FC 2-1 and the two teams will meet in the return match on October 28 at SSI.

-- BERNAMA