Penang's Lucas Espindola
PETALING JAYA: Since June, Penang have been on an eight-game winless run in the Super League, which saw them rooted to the bottom with just seven points.
But the boys led by Zainal Abidin Hassan have snapped that run after they shocked Kuala Lumpur 1-0 at the City Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday.
Brazilian striker Lucas Espindola (pic) was the hero when he scored in the 79th minute. The 32-year-old has been the lynchpin despite the Panthers’ poor season and has scored eight goals in 11 appearances for them.
Zainal said the win was due to the boys’ hunger to stop the rot.
“The players gave their all. Our tactics also worked but it was their heart that got them the win. I’m happy for them.
“We squandered some opportunities, but when the goal came, we played much better,” he said.
“We are currently down and under pressure.
The win would make things somewhat easier in our quest to survive the drop.”
However, the same euphoria was not felt in the stands. Less than 550 spectators attended the game, and when asked if he was disappointed about it, Zainal said he understood why the numbers are dwindling.
“When a team don’t play (well), people will be disappointed and not come. But we still do our work. We hope this win will get the fans back. We need their support.”
Meanwhile, an upset Kuala Lumpur coach Bojan Hodak said it was the worst game KL have played in the last two years.
“We entered the game poorly. Our heads were not here.
“Maybe we are still on holiday or maybe in Uzbekistan. We are a hardworking team, we can win these matches on quality, but we didn’t do it,” he said.
KL are due to face Uzbek club Sogdiana Jizzakh in the AFC Cup inter-zonal final on Oct 5.
“This is the second game in a row we cannot convert chances. Lots of players didn’t turn up. Penang had good players, and they fought. They deserve this win. This is our worst game in two years.”
Penang remain bottom with 10 points from 19 games, while Kuala Lumpur are sixth with 26 points from 19 matches.
