PETALING JAYA: Selangor coach Kim Pan-gon believes the Red Giants have laid the foundation for a stronger future despite falling short in the Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup final against Thailand’s Buriram United.
The Malaysian Super League side saw their title hopes dashed after Buriram produced a clinical display to secure back-to-back regional crowns in front of a capacity crowd of 30,889.
Goals from Suphanat Mueanta in the 28th minute and captain Theerathon Bunmathan in the 55th sealed the victory for the Thai giants after Selangor had briefly drawn level on aggregate through Syahir Bashah’s stunning long-range strike in the 18th minute.
The triumph capped another dominant season for Buriram, who also retained the Thai League 1 title last month.
Despite the disappointment, South Korean Pan-gon remained proud of his players and the progress shown throughout the campaign.
“What we produced in the Shopee Cup was fantastic,” he said.
“We tried to build our identity throughout the tournament, with attacking, brave and dynamic football. Even in the final against a very tough opponent, we still tried to maintain those characteristics and that is very positive for us.
“Of course, it is a little disappointing that we could not finish in second position this season, but in terms of our performances and the identity we are building as a club, I think it has been very positive.
“I’m really looking forward to next season. I believe we will come back stronger.”
Pan-gon also praised his players for showing courage away from home after admitting that nerves affected the team during the first leg.
“I think we regretted our performance in the home game a little because some of the players were not used to playing in a final after such a long time,” he said.
“There were nerves, but I encouraged them to show our attacking football and present that style to our fans. It worked.
“Even playing away, the boys were very confident and continued to maintain our identity against such a strong team. I am very proud of that.”
The Selangor coach also highlighted improvements in the team’s defensive organisation and transition play during the match.
“We tried to correct some tactical issues, especially defensively, and I thought our defending improved while our attacking transitions were smooth,” he added.
