PETALING JAYA: Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak was so relieved his side managed to salvage a point against Brunei in stoppage time as they continue their fight for second place in the Super League.
The Cats were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against the Wasps at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Saturday, hampering their hopes of taking second spot from Selangor.
And it needed a 96th minute strike from Ghanaian Jordan Mintah (pic) to ensure they did not head back empty-handed.
Kuching could have jumped ahead of Selangor, who are second with 46 points, with a win as the former are two points behind in third but with a game in hand.
Aidil was just thankful that his team managed to escape defeat in the dying seconds of a dramatic match.
“I’m grateful that we did not lose all three points. It’s good that we were still able to take a point and that’s positive compared to not getting anything at all,” said Aidil.
“The game was good after we scored in the first half. But we let Brunei equalise and from there their confidence grew.
“That’s something we have to work on and manage better.”
The visitors got ahead in the sixth minute through Ahmad Danial Asri, but Brunei levelled and stole the lead before half-time as Jordan Rodrigues and Jordan Murray scored in the 23rd and 30th minutes respectively.
But fortunately for Kuching, Mintah turned saviour with just seconds remaining when he pounced home on the rebound after seeing his penalty saved by Brunei goalkeeper Haimie Abdullah Nyaring.
Kuching, who will play their first-ever Malaysia Cup final against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) on May 23, will first wrap up their Super League season with their remaining matches against Terengganu (May 1), Melaka (May 9), and Kuala Lumpur (May 15).
