Under-18 Sarawak players and officials celebrate at the end of the final at USM Stadium on Friday.
MIRI: Sarawak under-18 players’ have achieved commendable success despite finishing second at the MSSM Football Tournament held in Penang from Aug 5 to 10.
The team performed well in the group stage to qualify for the knockout round.
But their impressive run ended on Friday after losing 1-0 in the final to Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Academy, who were representing MSSM Johor.
According to head coach Mohamad Hakimi Man, the team managed to control the game for a period of time, but luck was not on their side.
“It was a slim defeat, but our players deserves praises because they made it to the final round,” he said when contacted in Penang yesterday.
In the group stage, Sarawak lost 1-0 to Perlis, but they managed to bounce back with 2-1 win over Kelantan.
The team then played against Terengganu in the quarter-final and produced an upset by knocking out the 2017 finalists 2-0 for a spot in the last four.
In the semi-final, Sarawak kept the momentum going by beating Melaka 1-0.
Hakimi said the achievements were results of good collaboration between all the parties in the team, including the management and the players.
“Starting from the group matches all the way up to the final, our players never lose their focus and were consistent in their performance,” he said.
Hakimi believed that his players have garnered valuable experience from the tournament, and hoped that it can inspire them to turn professionals in the future.
“This tournament had produced numerous professional players such as Joseph Kalang Tie, and we are confident that our players can repeat similar achievements,” Hakimi said.
He also believed that several talented players in the team could shine further in other tournaments if they are given the space and opportunity.