Brunei coach Kwon (right) and Tam posing with the trophy after the press conference.
KUCHING: Brunei will not be taking Macau lightly in Saturday’s semi-finals of the AFC Solidarity Cup lightly.
Its coach Kwon Oh Son refuses to undermine Macau’s capability as he believes that the team led by Tam Iao San is a complete package and is able to disappoint them if not handled carefully.
“Macau are very solid in the offence, midfield and defence departments,” he noted. “We are very happy to be able to meet them in the semi-finals and we want our players to do their best to ensure that we advance to the final,” Kwon said at a press conference at Stadium Negeri in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Kwon was also confident that his players can bounce back from the shock defeat to Nepal in their final group match and face tomorrow’s crucial tie.
Meanwhile, Nepal are optimistic that they can tame Laos in Saturday’s other semi-final. That optimism stems from head coach Koji Gyotoky who said his players had performed well throughout the group matches.
“Yes…we have the chance to win, although the players are very tired, they are still raring to go in the semi-finals. I know the team (Laos) well and they possess good tactics. However, I am confident we can beat them,” he said.
However, Koji is reminding his players to stay fully focused as Valakone Phomphakdy’s boys are capable of springing a surprise. He said the weather and the wet pitch is expected to give the opponents a slight advantage.
Nepal will play Laos at 4:30pm at Stadium Negeri, Petra Jaya which will be followed by the Brunei-Macau match at the Sarawak Stadium at 7:30pm.