Coach Zainal hails players’ fighting spirit in M’sia Cup final

Pahang players celebrate after winning the Malaysia Cup final against JDT via a penalty shootout on Saturday. - GLENN GUAN/ The STAR

PETALING JAYA: Pahang coach Zainal Abidin Hassan hailed his players fighting spirit after they successfully retained their Malaysia Cup crown at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The 10-man Elephants beat Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) 5-3 in the penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2 after extra time to complete their M-League double on Saturday. They had earlier won the FA Cup in June.

Zainal said he was shocked by the red card shown to rightback Mohd Saiful Nizam Miswan but was relieved that his decision to replace striker Matias Conti with defender Zesh Rehman paid dividends.

“We had played with 10 men before but it was harder against a top side like JDT. I’m glad that my substitution worked,” said the former international.

“I’m proud of the team’s performance ... they deserve credit for the hard-earned win. Everyone showed great teamwork to get back into the game despite the setbacks.

“We now need to build the team up for the AFC Cup competition. I think we should now focus on making an impact at the international stage.”

JDT coach Bojan Hodak did not mince his word when he blamed his player’s lack of focus as they surrendered a 2-1 lead.

“Half of the team were ball watching. This kind of mistake only happens in junior league,” said Hodak, who led JDT to their first-ever Super League title in June.

“We were also unlucky as we hit the upright twice during the match. We could have finished the season better by lifting the Cup.

“We will now look forward to next season. We are in the AFC Champions league playoff so we need to identify the problems and look for the solutions fast.”