Eyes on the ball: Kuala Lumpur’s Mohd Kamal Azizi Mohd Zabri (left) vying for the ball with Selangor’s Faisal Halim. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: One point is good enough for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur for different reasons.
The Klang Valley derby match at the Petaling Jaya Stadium ended in a goalless draw on Sunday, and opposing Super League sides were happy.
Selangor interim head coach Christophe Gamel had no complaints on his side as a hectic schedule saw them come into the match after a 2-0 loss to Persib Bandung in the AFC Champions League Two on Thursday.
“It was a good derby and overall good performance from both sides,” said Gamel.
“But the problem we saw was that we had no fuel.
“I’m not upset, but I ask myself why is it that we have so little rest between matches?
“But, that is how it is, and it is our job to make it up in any way.”
The Red Giants will have a quick turnaround again as they prepare to host Negri Sembilan in the FA Cup quarter-final second leg match tomorrow.
But with more young players injected into the squad, Gamel hopes they can rise to the occasion when it matters.
“I’m happy with the spirit given by the boys, it’s important that they gave everything.
“And the young ones, I had seven Under-23 players in the squad, and that’s something rare in the Super League.”
While Gamel plans around his tight schedule, it was a lack of matches for Kuala Lumpur that head coach Risto Vidakovic cited being the issue.
The City Boys played their last match a month ago when they beat Terengganu 1-0 on Sept 27, and only returned to action on Sunday.
“For us it was a tough game. We didn’t play for a month, so we are not in the right shape and that made it difficult for us,” said Vidakovic.
“They (Selangor) played matches recently, so maybe they are a little tired.
“But I am happy with the result. I think a draw is okay for both teams. It’s a fair result.”
Vidakovic said despite the team’s challenges when it comes to training, the result was worth being proud of as they remain unbeaten in the Super League after seven matches.
“I didn’t expect this because we have a new team with new players from everywhere.
“And it’s not easy because we are working in tough conditions where we don’t have our own training ground.
“Sometimes the pitch we train at is good, sometimes it isn’t.
“But I don’t want to complain about my problems. It’s the hardship the players go through, and I am proud of them,” said Vidakovic.
Kuala Lumpur currently sit in second place with seven points behind league leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) with 24 points, while Selangor are in seventh place with 10 points with a game in hand.
The City Boys will play their next match against Kelantan at the Cheras Stadium on Saturday.
