KUALA LUMPUR: Kelantan Red Warrior coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim turned a routine Malaysia Cup exit into a moment of levity on Saturday, using humour to deflect from his side’s 3-1 aggregate defeat to DPMM.
While Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) cruised into the quarter-finals with an 11-1 aggregate win over Police, the spotlight in Brunei fell on Irfan’s post-match debrief following a 1-1 draw.
The veteran coach was asked about DPMM’s equaliser — a direct goal from a corner that caught goalkeeper Shafiq Afifi Suhaimi off guard.
“I asked the goalkeeper how he couldn’t catch it,” he said.
“Shafiq told me it was because of the ‘angin’ (wind). He said the wind pushed the ball. I told him, ‘Next time your positioning must be better.'”
Irfan added that his side tried to use the same conditions after the break.
“In the second half, we attacked with the wind. I told the players, ‘Okay, now use the wind properly,'” he said.
Despite the jokes, Irfan said he was proud of his players.
“I’m disappointed with the result, of course. But I’m proud of my players. Most of them are local players, and they showed they could compete,” he said.
He also brushed aside concerns over the flurry of yellow cards in the feisty contest.
“Yellow cards are normal in football. As long as nobody starts fighting, it’s fine. That’s sportsmanship,” he said.
As the press conference drew to a close, Irfan delivered one final line regarding his squad’s composure.
“Most of my boys, this is their first time coming to Brunei. They’re like ‘budak kampung’ seeing a new place,” he said.
Meanwhile, JDT sealed their place in the last eight with a 1-0 second-leg win over Police at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
Spanish winger Teto Martin scored the only goal of the match in the 64th minute.
Despite the comfortable margin, JDT coach Xisco Munoz said he was far from satisfied, demanding higher standards.
“This was not our best night. The problem is not the result. The problem is the level of the performance tonight,” he said.
Munoz added that JDT must show greater intensity and warned his players must be more ruthless in the box.
JDT will face Melaka, who progressed 5-2 on aggregate over Sabah, while Kelantan and Police will join the Challenge Cup.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
