PETALING JAYA: Selangor assistant coach Lee Soon-seok apologised to fans and expressed pride in his players despite their semi-final heartbreak in the Malaysia Cup on Saturday.
Standing in for his fellow countryman and suspended South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon, who collected two yellow cards during the competition, Soon-seok described the 1-2 aggregate defeat against Kuching City as both painful and disappointing. Kuching City created history by reaching their first-ever Malaysia Cup final after defeating Selangor 1-0 in the second leg at the State Stadium in Kuching, thanks to Namibian playmaker Petrus Shitembi who scored the decisive goal in the 31st minute to spark celebrations among the home supporters.
Said Soon-seok: “It is very sad and disappointing. On behalf of the head coach, I want to apologise to all the fans who came expecting us to reach the final.
“However, I am proud of the players. They gave everything and never gave up. We must learn from this game, but we also have many matches ahead, so we need to stay focused on the future.”
He emphasised that the Red Giants’ identity remained intact despite the setback of having two players sent off during the game.
“As Selangor, we showed our identity. We kept fighting until the last minute, and everyone could see the character we are building at this club,” he added.
Soon-seok also acknowledged the absence of key striker Chrigor Moraes but refused to use it as an excuse. “He is a very important player who has scored many goals, but the rest tried their best. The preparation was not ideal, but we must continue to improve.”
Selangor’s hopes faded further in the second half when defender Safuwan Baharudin was sent off following a Video Assistant Referee review for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Matters worsened when midfielder Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi received a red card for a reckless tackle, reducing Selangor to nine men and effectively ending their comeback hopes.
Kuching capitalised on the numerical advantage and held firm to book a final showdown with Johor Darul Ta’zim at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on May 23.
Kuching City coach Aidil Sharin hailed his team’s effort and unity in achieving a historic milestone.
“The journey to the final is not easy, but the players worked very hard. Everyone contributed, including the families, management and fans. This is another piece of history for the club, but we are not going to stop here.”
Aidil, who previously reached the final with Kedah, wants his charges to celebrate the success but later focus on giving a good fight.
“A final is every coach’s dream. We will be facing a big team, but we hope to rise to the occasion. Let’s bring the same energy to Bukit Jalil and give the fans a great match,” he said.
