Malaysian players react after losing the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final to Thailand 2-0 at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. — Bernama photo
BANGKOK: National head coach Dollah Salleh remains confident of turning the tables on Thailand in the return leg of the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow.
He said despite going down 0-2 in the first leg at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Wednesday, playing in front of Malaysian fans would be an added boost for the players to overturn the deficit and emulate the 2010 victory achieved under former national head coach Datuk K Rajagobal.
“We still have 90 minutes to go. It’s not easy to play in the second leg after losing 0-2 but in football, anything can happen and I’m confident we can do better at the (National Stadium) in Bukit Jalil,” Dollah told reporters after the match.
Commenting on the defeat, Dollah pointed out that the penalty awarded by referee Kovalenko Valentin of Uzbekistan in the second half turned out to be a disaster for the players who had tried their best.
“The sudden penalty spoiled everything,” Dollah said while praising the young Thai side who played well in the match.
Meanwhile, Thailand head coach Kiatisuk Senamuang praised his young side for putting up a dazzling display in front of thousands of their supporters and also praised the Malaysian side which gave them a good fight.
“We played more defensive but sometimes moved into attack but most importantly, the referee did a good job despite some questionable decisions,” said the former Thailand international.
He said his boys would not be intimidated by playing in front of thousands of Malaysian supporters in the return leg.
“We have full confidence of winning the cup for the fourth time after having won in 1996, 2000 and 2002,” he said. — Bernama