PETALING JAYA, Sept 19 — Selangor FC head coach Katsuhito Kinoshi does not regard the squad’s opening defeat to Bangkok United in the Asian Champions League 2 yesterday as a tragedy.
Instead, he said his players showed resilience by scoring twice despite being reduced to 10 men in the 4-2 loss.
“Two-goal difference for me is not a tragedy. We can see our players' strong mindset when they did not give up (despite playing with 10 players).
“In the second half, we have a good chance to equalise, they kept attacking and made the opponent tired. They did not give up,” Kinoshi told a post-match press conference after the match at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium.
However, Kinoshi admitted that while the clash against Bangkok United was tough, the Red Giants made it harder for themselves by committing several tactical mistakes.
“If the opponent is not so good, the mistake they make is not a mistake. But tonight, they played against a good team that knew our weaknesses and punished us.
“We must identify these weaknesses and change for the better in the next match,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bangkok United head coach Totchtawan Sripan was pleased with his team’s performance despite needing some time to adapt to the pitch conditions.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match, and yes, it certainly turned out that way.
“There were a few mistakes because I myself was not very familiar with the condition of the pitch, but we tried to adapt as best as possible,” he said.
