PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan head coach Nidzam Jamil left the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals first leg game against Selangor with a bitter taste in his mouth after the Deer conceded a late goal on Sunday.
Negri hosted the first leg fixture at the Paroi Stadium, but were left trailing 1-0 after fullback Harith Shamsuri gave away a penalty in injury time, which Chrigor Moraes converted.
Nidzam did not contest the penalty, admitting that Harith made the mistake.
But the gaffer was concerned on how the team let a late goal slip past them, which has been a recurring issue for the Deer.
“I watched the replay and I agree that it was a penalty,” said Nidzam.
“But we could have avoided the situation that led up to it. Harith will learn from this, and I will talk to him. But the lead-up to it, that’s my concern.”
Nidzam noted that conceding late had become a problem, as it occurred during their 1-0 loss to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) last month and in their 1-1 draw against Terengganu last November.
“We should know how to kill the game, and this is a bitter process to swallow, even for the players. If the score is level, at least avoid conceding late in the dying minutes,” he said.
But Nidzam knows his team will need to dig deep and bring the fight during the return leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Feb 14.
“Good thing this is a Cup game, and we’ve another 90 minutes to go, and we need to go with great spirits.
“We have the second leg to redeem ourselves,” he said.
