Coach Wan Jamak was delighted after seeing his Kedah side stage a stirring comeback from two goals down to draw 3-3 with MSL leaders LionsXII, denting their title challenge
“We knew that [the] Lions XII is a good team, and this was going to be a tough match for us. We were down by as many as 2 goals, so I must say coming back to draw, it’s like a bonus [for us].”
Despite some stellar performances by the two foreign Kedah players, Abdel Fatah Safi and goal scorer Vedran Gerc, coach Jamak emphasized that it was the team effort that counted.
“For me the teamwork was very important. You see when Khyril scored and Gerc scored, they know it’s because someone will get them the ball, will make a good pass for them. For me, all the Kedah players played extremely well and were committed.”
He lamented that his team were not able to deal with the Lions’ strengths in crosses and set-pieces.
“We saw that their crossing is very, very good. They have players who can cross the ball and players who can finish in the air. This is what I told the boys, they had to be careful and mark tightly. Unfortunately, we still had some poor marking and conceded three goals, but at least still managed to come back.”
Finally, he revealed the changes he made to his side after the break, as Kedah came out a different team, much more cohesive defensively and hungry for a result.
“Well, I noticed how the Lions were playing which were short passes and getting into good positions. So I told the boys to track back and deny them space to move. I also told the keeper be brave and come out to claim the long balls and the crosses. Fortunately, the team responded and we were able to get a good result.”
Despite the positive point picked up against the LionsXII, Kedah languish in eleventh spot in the table and coach Wan Jamak will be hopin that this result can be the springboard for further success.
By Patrick Lim, GOAL.COM
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