PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur City may be battling off-field woes, but they showed they are far from done after fighting back to hold Terengganu to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Malaysia Cup quarter-final game.
The City Boys displayed a never-say-die attitude to stay alive in the tie, much to the pride of head coach Risto Vidakovic at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium on Friday.
However, while pleased with his players’ resilience, Vidakovic admitted his disappointment that the club’s management have yet to resolve their salary issues — a situation that has prevented Kuala Lumpur from bringing in reinforcements to strengthen the squad.
Kuala Lumpur were slapped with a three-window transfer ban by FIFA after they failed to settle salary arrears in September last year.
“We are still alive, and that’s because the players are motivated and they want to do something important for the club,” said Vidakovic.
“For me, it’s a pity because the club didn’t react. They didn’t bring in anyone who could have helped reinforce the team.
“We are still fighting for second place (in the Super League), and even if it’s difficult, we will keep fighting as if we are playing in a final.”
During the match on Friday, hosts Terengganu got ahead after new signing Gervane Kastaneer got his first goal for the club in the first half.
But the City Boys bit back with an equaliser in the 84th minute from winger Nicolao Dumitru, thanks to an assist from substitute Safawi Rasid.
Vidakovic’s roster issues were evident as he explained why Safawi was only subbed in for the last 15 minutes.
“Some players have been playing almost every single match for the past two months, especially Safawi.
“He hasn’t gotten any rest since the start of the season. So we decided to give him a break.
“But when he came on, he helped with the deciding goal, and that shows he’s a very important player for us,” said Vidakovic.
The Bosnian coach knows things will not be any easier when they play the second leg match at the Cheras Stadium on Feb 13, but believes the boys can deliver another strong showing.
“We played a good game. I think we deserved the result we got, maybe a little more.
“But there is another game to play, and we have to focus on the next,” he said.
