Alert over dangerman: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Arif Aiman Hanapi is marked by an Immigration player during their Super League match. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Onward and upward – that’s the only thing Immigration can do after they were mauled by Super League giants Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on home ground on Thursday.
Immigration, who remain winless in the season so far, suffered a 0-3 loss at the Batu Kawan Stadium against the 11-time league winners.
Well aware that the match was not going to be a breeze, Immigration coach Yusri Che Lah stayed as positive as he could, shifting his focus onto the team’s upcoming FA Cup round of 16 second-leg fixture against Terengganu on Sep 13.
“We have two weeks to prepare for our next match, and I hope the new import player we have brought in will be able to help strengthen the team,” said Yusri.
“During this time, we need to concentrate on avoiding repeated mistakes that have been costly, and I believe that can help change the outcome of a match.”
Yusri hopes the team can strike first in the second-leg fixture at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin after coming from behind to win the first-leg match 2-1 on Aug 17.
At the Batu Kawan Stadium on Thursday, JDT dominated the match by putting three past the hosts thanks to Jon Irazabal in the 43rd minute, Jairo Da Silva (58th), and Joao Figueiredo (77th).
However, Yusri remained proud of his players for showing grit on the pitch despite facing a tough opponent.
“The team defended well early in the match, but when we fell behind, we tried to prevent them from scoring more goals by launching counter-attacks.’’
After the FA Cup match, Immigration’s next Super League fixture will see them host Negri Sembilan on Sep 20.
