PETALING JAYA: Struggling Kelantan went from a heavy beating to a great escape after they held Kuching City to a goalless draw in the round of 16 of the FA Cup yesterday.
The Red Warriors were thrashed 5-0 by the Cats in a Super League match on Saturday but they showed their fighting spirit was intact in the first-leg tie at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru.
“Credit has to be given to my players,” said Kelantan coach Irfan Bakti at the post-match conference.
“They (Kuching) are the second best team in the country with nine or 10 import players.
“Add to that the 5-0 loss and the fact that we only had 14 players to choose from.
“Most of them don’t even play in the Super League but they gave it their all.”
Despite their limitations, Kelantan had the best chance to break the deadlock in the 18th minute when Emmanuel Mbarga burst forward and delivered an inch-perfect pass to set up Faiz Nasir for a one-on-one against the Kuching goalkeeper Shahril Saari.
Unfortunately, Faiz, who is nicknamed “Messi” by Irfan, failed to finish off the chance as his left-footed first-time shot missed the entire goal frame.
“That was our moment to win it. We can’t afford to miss chances like that,” added Irfan.
Nevertheless, Irfan remains optimistic that this result will serve as motivation for his team to deliver another strong performance in the second leg next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) commenced their title defence with a 4-1 win over UM-Damansara United at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
The Southern Tigers were too strong for the A1 Semi-Pro side, with naturalised winger Manuel Hidalgo giving a standout performance with two goals and one assist.
