PETALING JAYA: A win is always enough to put a smile on any coach’s face, and Selangor’s Kim Pan-gon was no exception.
He, however, wants more from his players, and is also hoping for the return of their injured captain Faisal Halim.
The Red Giants played without Faisal but beat Penang 3-1 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Saturday to extend their unbeaten Super League run to five matches.
The result also marked the club’s 2,000th competitive game in all competitions.
Selangor are second with 15 points from five matches, while Penang are 11th with four points from five games in the league standings.
“Great performance. Our players have done well especially in our 2,000th game,” said Pan-gon.
“Our first game was against Penang in 1921 and we won. And in the 2,000th, we won against them too. It’s a great gift to our fans. I’m very proud of our players.”
Brazilian striker Chrigor Moraes was the match winner, scoring twice to go top of the scorers’ chart with nine goals.
The 25-year-old opened the scoring in the 11th minute, pouncing on a loose save by Penang goalkeeper Ramadhan Abd Hamid and added another in the 51st minute, finishing off a superb Quentin Cheng corner.
Penang pulled one back in the 68th minute with their first shot on target through captain Stefano Brundo.
In injury time, Selangor were awarded a penalty after Penang centreback Khairul Akmal Rokisham fouled Alif Izwan Yuslan.
Moraes’ spot kick hit the bar, but Ahmad Zikri Khalili reacted fastest to bury the rebound.
Pan-gon, however, was visibly unhappy after dropping one.
“We were very passive. It was the same as the last game in the FA Cup, when we were beaten 2-3 in the quarter-final second leg,” said the South Korean.
“When we conceded, we had a lot of players in the box. It was the same again, we must be aggressive.”
Pan-gon is hoping for the return of Faisal, who is nursing a calf injury and has missed two matches.
“We are managing without Faisal, and that’s positive but I’m upset having to play without him,” said Pan-gon.
“We miss his leadership. It’s very important that he comes back.”
Selangor’s next game is against Kuching City in the FA Cup semi-final first leg tie at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Friday.
“We have the passion and the desire, and we will prepare well to give our fans a good result and performance,” said Pan-gon.
