SHAH ALAM, Sept 18 — PKNS FC manager Datuk K.Rajagopal feels his team have been unlucky in the Malaysia Cup campaign this year, plagued by inconsistencies which saw them finish last in the group stage.
He said his team played well initially, but then failed to live up to their true potential, losing the final three matches of the campaign, the latest being the 0-2 loss to Terengganu FC (TFC) yesterday.
“I think PKNS should have ended the campaign in the top six, but it did not go as planned, if the team had beaten Negri Sembilan the other day (on Sept 13), things may have gone more in our favour.
“We had already been eliminated from the Malaysian Cup campaign (prior to the Terengganu match), we should not have had any pressure. However, I am disappointed with my team for this year’s Malaysia Cup campaign,” he told reporters after the match yesterday.
Meanwhile, TFC manager Mohd Nafuzi Mahammad Zain said he was relieved after his goal to qualify for the quarterfinals was achieved.
“Our mission to bring home three full points was a success, it’s not easy to recover after losing two games, but we did well tonight,” he said.
In the match, TFC began fiercely by scoring the opener in the third minute of the game through Sanjar Shaakhmedov before Tchetche Kipre added a second in the eighth minute.
TFC secured a berth to the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals after defeating PKNS FC, while Kedah topped Group A after beating Negeri Sembilan in the final match. — Bernama
