Deadly strike: Kuching’s Ramadhan Saifullah celebrating after scoring against Penang in the Malaysia Cup last-16 match. — Kuching City FC
PETALING JAYA: It was not a dream start for Penang’s new coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail but he remained upbeat after his team lost 0-1 at home to Kuching in the Malaysia Cup round of 16 on Thursday.
Rohaimi, who took over the position last week and helmed his first match with the team at the City Stadium in Georgetown, believes the Panthers will pounce back into contention when they meet again.
They will take on Kuching in the second leg on Nov 30 at the Sarawak Stadium.
The former Police coach said the team showed promise throughout the game.
“I commend my players for their performance in the second half. They lost the ball many times in the first half but bounced back in the second after we made some changes,” said Rohaimi.
“They created chances but the finish just wasn’t there. But they showed commitment and a never-say-die attitude which is a positive takeaway.
“For me, I would be worried if there were no opportunities at goal at all, but we had the willingness to create chances, but could not convert them,” he said.
The 48-year-old remained full of confidence that his players could pull off a comeback and climb back from the 0-1 aggregate when they face their opponents again.
“I believe we have the chance to come back even though we are going to be playing away,” he said.
“I have about a week to fix things within the team that we feel need to be improved.
“I am optimistic that we have a chance to pull off something in Kuching,” he said.
During the match, Kuching’s Tchetche Kipre provided a perfect pass to Ramadhan Saifullah in the 44th minute, giving the visiting side the sole goal that gave them the lead against Penang.
For Kuching head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak, he doesn’t want his team to be complacent with their narrow lead.
“Anything can happen, it’s a 50-50 chance. Even if you are leading 4-0, we have seen many teams coming back and winning against the odds.
“We have to work extra hard. The more they attack, the more space we will have at the back during the second leg,” he said.
