ALOR STAR: Kedah Darul Aman (KDA) FC coach Mohd Nafuzi Zain feels that his team should not have lost to Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in the first leg of the FA Cup semi-finals at Darul Aman Stadium last night (July 19).
He said that given the performance and energetic style of play displayed by his players, as well as the chances created, the Canaries should at least have secured a draw rather than the defeat they experienced.
"I am indeed disappointed. I feel we shouldn't have lost; at the very least, we could have drawn. We know JDT had many chances, and we had many chances too, but I hope we can maintain this level of performance in the next match.
"We started well, and we had chances to score, but perhaps the players' eagerness made them a bit hasty, which made the difference between us and JDT," he told reporters after the match, where KDA FC lost 1-2 to JDT.
Nafuzi acknowledged that facing the Southern Tigers is a tough challenge, but he believes the single goal scored proves that the Canaries functioned well in all positions and that luck was not on their side.
"Scoring against JDT is not easy, and achieving a victory is not straightforward. For me, a draw would have been better than a loss, but we have to accept the 2-1 result," he said.
In the match last night, Kedah lost to JDT with goals from Oscar Arribas and a late goal from Romel Morales, while Kedah's lone goal was scored by Habib Haroon.
KDA FC and JDT will face off in the second leg of the semi-finals at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Aug 3 to determine which team will advance to the FA Cup final. — BERNAMA