KOTA BHARU, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Kelantan The Real Warriors (TRW) FC players need to use their victory over Sabah FC in the Super League last night as a catalyst to fire their spirit in facing Selangor FC in the Malaysia Cup action at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here, Jan 19.
Kelantan TRW assistant head coach Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli said the 3-2 victory over Sabah FC at home was important for his team after enduring a difficult journey and being in a less than satisfactory position at the moment.
"This victory will give us a morale boost because previously our morale was at its lowest point when we lost six consecutive matches in the Super League and FA Cup.
"I commend all the players because they showed a pretty interesting game and I hope the momentum of this victory will be used as a catalyst to challenge Selangor FC in Malaysia Cup later," he said when met by reporters after the match at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium here last night.
Currently, Kelantan TRW are in 11th place with 14 points from four wins, two draws and nine losses.
Meanwhile, Sabah FC assistant head coach Alto Linus said the defeat was due to his team losing several key players due to suspensions and injuries.
"Losing key players has had a significant impact on this match, especially when playing away from home.
"Everything did not go as planned, in fact the players did not follow the instructions they were given, conceding three goals to the home team," he said.
He said the three early goals scored by Kelantan TRW in the first half had killed the team's rhythm.
"They (Kelantan TRW) were smart enough to take advantage of my players' mistakes to score three goals, so for me this mistake needs to be corrected because several things that were instructed to the players were not implemented properly, especially when they let the opposing players to roam in our half," he said.
-- BERNAMA
