IPOH – Two red cards proved to be too much for Perak FC as they suffered a 1-4 defeat against Kedah FC in the opening Super League match at the Perak Stadium, last night.
Perak FC head coach Datuk Lim Teong Kim admitted that the incidents had made it difficult for his side to balance the action of the opponents and battle through the game.
“We also lost tonight because of our young players’ lack of experience and we gave them too much space to create chances and attack.
“Although the result is a hard pill to swallow, I admit that my players worked hard throughout the match and showed good fighting spirit,” he said at the post-match press conference.
In the Northern derby, the Bos Gaurus ended the first half with 10 players when referee Zulkarnain Zakaria sent defender Ahmad Haziq Ahmad Puad off the field in the 36th minute for a foul on Amirbek Juraboev.
Perak FC suffered another body blow in the 78th minute when their foreign signing Sunday Afolabi was red-carded for a foul on Manuel Hidalgo.
The goals for Kedah FC were contributed by Lee Tuck in the 21st minute, Willian Sousa in the 67th minute, Muhammad Arif Farhan in the 84th minute and Johnathan Dos Reis at the stroke of full time.
Perak FC’s only goal came in the fourth minute through Mohamad Ikwan Hafizo.
Teong Kim said last night’s defeat should serve as a lesson and motivation for his players to work hard to gain a victory.
“There are still many matches to play and we have time to rectify our weaknesses,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kedah FC manager Nafuzi Zain praised the Bos Gaurus players for their fighting spirit despite the team’s defeat.
“Congratulations to the home team because their players, who are mostly young players have exhibited an energetic performance that made it difficult for us, especially at the beginning of the game,” he said.
The former national player, however, admitted that there were still weaknesses that needed to be improved to keep their winning momentum going in their next match against Terengganu FC at the Darul Aman Stadium on March 1.- Bernama
