IPOH: Perak FC head coach Yusri Che Lah (pic) has dismissed claims that his team’s 1-0 victory over Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC last night was a matter of luck.
The Perlis-born coach emphasised that his squad's dedication and perseverance earned them the crucial three points against The City Boys.
“We respect KL City, but as I’ve said before, our focus was on securing the three points, and the players worked tirelessly for nearly 90 minutes to achieve this win.
“On paper, KL City may appear to have the edge with their more experienced squad, but my players managed to fend off their attacks and create a victory. Full credit goes to my players for their performance,” he said during a post-match press conference on Saturday (Sept 21).
In the match at Perak Stadium, a 62nd-minute goal by Luka Milunovic handed The Bos Gaurus a 1-0 win over the 2021 Malaysia Cup champions, continuing their winning streak after defeating Negeri Sembilan FC last week.
Yusri expressed hope that his players would remain focused and stay focused by these two wins as they head to Pahang next week in pursuit of another valuable win.
“Sri Pahang FC have scored seven goals in their last two matches, so we must ensure our players are well-prepared and focused to avoid conceding easy goals,” he said.
Meanwhile, KL City head coach Miroslav Kuljanac said he had anticipated a tough challenge from the home team, especially with key players absent.
“It was a difficult game against Perak, especially without Paulo Josue and Hakimi Azim Rosli, which affected our momentum.
“I had no choice but to rotate the team by fielding players unfamiliar with their positions, but we still had chances to score. Maybe we didn’t because they were not playing in their natural positions,” he said. – Bernama
