PETALING JAYA: It was a hard day at work for Kuala Lumpur as they picked up two red cards and a painful defeat in Group B of the Asean Club Championships at home.
Anyone else would have been heartbroken but Kuala Lumpur coach Miroslav Kuljanac chose to put on a brave face.
In fact, he lauded the valiant effort of his boys who were beaten 2-3 by Vietnamese side Cong An Ha Noi at the Cheras Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Their team were reduced to nine men by the end of the game, and their much-fancied opponents took advantage of the dire situation to score the winning goal.
Playmaker Nguyen Quang Hai hit the first goal for Cong An at the 10th minute followed by Bui Hoang Viet Anh (66th) and Le Van Do (90th minute), while Kuala Lumpur’s goals came via Montenegrin Adrijan Rudovic (22nd) and captain Paulo Josue (31st).
The two red cards were given to rightback Kamal Azizi Zabri (73rd) and Josue (87th) for fouls.
Croatian Kuljanac said his men put up a battling display under tough situation.
“I know my boys gave their maximum. The first half was brilliant but in the second, Cong An played faster and made the game even more exciting,” said Kuljanac.
“They played exactly as how I wanted it although we were down to nine men.
“We tried to maintain at 2-2 when there were 10 men but it was not easy to hold on to that result against a team like Cong An. Then the second red card made it harder.
“We did not make Cong An win the game easily but the defeat was indeed painful.
Kuala Lumpur are third in the group with six points from four matches and will complete their group stage by taking on Thai club Buriram United, who are second in the group with seven points, at the Chang Arena in Buriram on Feb 6.
“If we want to get to the semi-finals, we have to beat our next opponents,” said Kuljanac.
Cong An became the first side to book a spot in the semi-finals as they topped the group with 12 points.
