Good effort: Ismaheel Akinade (left) celebrating with teammate Chijoke Nnabuike after scoring against JDT. — Terengganu FC
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Cup exit is painful but Terengganu are taking the positives to mount a strong challenge in their all-important final Group A game of the Asean Club Championships (ACC).
The Turtles lost 1-6 on aggregate in the two legged semi-finals against defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) to miss out on their final appearance for the second time in a row at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Saturday
The side coached by Badrul Afzan Razali showed fight in the second leg, losing narrowly 1-2 compared to their 0-4 annihilation in Gong Badak on Jan 17.
The lone goal was scored by Nigerian striker Ismaheel Akinade in the 59th minute, ending his goal drought since September.
It was a goal to remember as he executed a shot off a Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili cross to beat JDT goalkeeper Christian Abad.
The goal is indeed an injection of confidence for Akinade and his crew, who will now head to Bangkok to face Thai club BG Pathum United in the ACC at the Leo Stadium on Wednesday.
It is a must-win game for Terengganu if they want to qualify for the semi-finals and also top the group. BG are at the top with eight points, while Terengganu are second with seven.
Other teams who stand a chance to qualify for the semi-finals in the group are third-placed PSM Makassar (seven points) and fourth place Thanh Hoa (six points).
Both these sides will face-off at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday. Only the top two teams from the group will qualify for the next stage.
Akinade was happy to finall break the duck after four months.
“It is good because I have not scored in a while. We knew it would be tough because we were 0-4 down against JDT, but we showed some character, and ended up losing 1-2,” said Akinade.
“We will take some positives from the second leg and push further for success in Bangkok.”
Akinade applauded his team for persevering despite a hectic schedule.
“We have played five games in the past few weeks with every game after every three days. It’s taxing. We do not have a big squad like JDT, our legs are feeling like jelly but we have to recover well.
“All the boys have given their 100 percent in every game. It has been a long season but we will keep pushing.
“In fact, I felt tightness in my hamstring but I managed myself well throughout the game in the second leg. I hope to be better when we face Pathum.”
