KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — Kelantan head coach Bojan Hodak lavished praise on his boys for clinching the FA Cup with a slim 1-0 victory over Johor Darul Takzim (Johor DT) in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.

A solitary goal through Mohd Norfarhan Muhammad in the 14^th minute was enough for the East Coast giant to retain the trophy which they won last year.

“In the first half, my boys played very well and created many chances...(our defender), Obinna Nwaneri, also played well today and he was also able to deny Johor DT’s strike force from finding the net,” he told reporters after the match played in front of almost 90,000 spectators.

His view was shared by team captain Mohd Badhri Mohd Radzi who described the victory as very meaningful for his team, especially after many of their leading players had moved to play for other teams.

“It was hard to cope with the styles of the new players, but we managed to sort out the problem...I would also like to thank our supporters for their unflinching support during the game,” said the captain who was also named Best Player tonight.

Meanwhile, Johor DT assistant coach Ismail Ibrahim attributed their lost to the injuries suffered by three of their players, prompting substitutes to be brought in early in the game.

“Mohd Safee Sali and Andrezinho injured their thigh muscles while Safiq Rahim had ankle injury, which upset our midfield strategies, hence giving the opportunity to Kelantan to dominate the game.

Ismail said Kelantan’s past participation in the final stage was also a factor as two of its players, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Mohd Nurul Azwan Roya, had featured in the final game before. – Bernama