GEORGE TOWN: Winless Penang FC continue to pay dearly for their mistakes despite showing improvement in their first four Super League matches this season according to head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail.
Wan Rohaimi stated the team displayed better energy and cohesion in last night’s match against Kelantan The Real Warriors but lost 0-1 due to a player’s error.
He confirmed the sending off of a player in the second half significantly affected the team’s overall performance.
“We started well in the first half with everything proceeding smoothly until an individual mistake enabled Kelantan TRW to take the lead,“ he said during a post-match press conference.
“A few minutes later we received a red card punishment which clearly disrupted the players’ emotions and rhythm of play,“ he added.
Wan Rohaimi praised his players for displaying tremendous spirit in the second half despite being forced to compete with only ten men.
He explained several substitutions and tactical changes managed to create scoring opportunities until the final minute but luck favoured the opposition.
He remains optimistic about the team’s future fortunes while acknowledging the significant challenge of facing league leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim FC at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on 28 September.
Kelantan head coach E. Elavarasan commended his players’ performance particularly goalkeeper Damyanov Damyan Valeriy for making several crucial saves against the home side.
Elavarasan also praised Penang for maintaining strong performance levels despite playing with reduced numbers.
The City Stadium encounter saw Kelantan secure their first victory in four matches moving them to fifth position in the league table with five points.
Penang dropped to eleventh place in the standings with only one point from their opening matches. – Bernama
