KUCHING: It came as a huge shock when Sarawak was hammered 6-1 by Terengganu last Friday but Sarawak coach David Usop is defiant that his team will bounce back after the humiliation.
Sarawak fans will obviously be disappointed and upset, but Sarawak must not lose hope and play on.
Hopefully last Friday’s thrashing was just a blip for the state team.
Speaking to thesundaypost yesterday, he and his team will do all they can to make amends on last Friday’s defeat as they take on host Pahang today at the Darul Makmur Stadium. David insists that his team shake off the bitter memories and save their Sukma XV campaign.
“We made too many mistakes in our previous match. We gave the ball away too easily and we were cruelly punished by it,” he said.
He pointed out that his team were too nervous during the encounter. They should display more free flow football but was too slow in their movements instead.
After conceding three goals during the first half, Sarawak looked demotivated and uninterested to continue with the game. However the only consolation for Sarawak was Maxwell Boli’s goal.
“Tomorrow (today) we must not commit the same mistakes. We just could not afford another humiliation like that (against Terengganu),” said David.
Pahang on the other hand will troop into the field to build up on their 2-1 victory against Pulau Pinang. The host have set their sights on winning the gold in the football event this year.
“Pahang is a strong team. We must be careful when we face them and at the same time not get too nervous or intimidated when facing the host,” commented David on today’s match.
Sarawak last won the gold medal in football in 1990 and they have been “sleeping giants” of Sukma football ever since.
Today’s match might well be a decider if they were to repeat the feat of their predecessors, 22 years ago.