JOHOR BARU, April 15 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) head coach Bojan Hodak does not want his team to be complacent after defeating Kitchee SC 2-0 in a Group F AFC Cup match at Tan Sri Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin yesterday.
The Croatian-born coach said instead the players need to showcase their best performance consistently in the remaining two matches to head Group F.
“Our mission now is to become the group leader by winning the remaining two matches in the group,” he said at a post-match press conference.
“For us, to be on the top is important as it will give the advantage for us to proceed to the next level.”
The two goals were scored by Argentinian import Luciano Figueroa and team captain Safiq Rahim.
The win positions JDT to top Group F, collecting nine points, followed by Kitchee SC with seven points. India’s East Bengal FC and Balestier Khalsa from Singapore are third and fourth respectively.
On the match, Hodak said he was satisfied with his players’ performance as they did not give any chances to the opposition team to score.
“In the first 45 minutes, we played very well. There were no chances for Kitchee SC to score goals. But in the long run, we need to improve certain things as we are aiming to lead the group to the next level,” he said.
JDT, nicknamed the Southern Tigers, will play East Bengal FC on April 28 before facing Balestier Khalsa on May 12 to complete their group matches. — Bernama
