BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
The Red Warriors missed out on the chance to end their 2018 pre-season positively, when they failed to capture the Boost Sportsfix Super Cup pre-season tournament title.
The Red Warriors needed only a draw against Thai side Ratchaburi FC in the last match of the three-team competition in order to lift the title, but were instead beaten 4-3 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Saturday evening.
The result of the match meant the title was won by Indonesia's Persija Jakarta. Kelantan finished second and Ratchaburi third. All three clubs finished with three points, but the Indonesians finished with a goal difference of +1, the Malaysians 0, and the Thais -1.
Curiously, no one from Persija was present at the venue to receive the pre-season tournament trophy. The Jakartans, having played the last of of their two matches last Tuesday, a 1-0 defeat to Kelantan, have reportedly returned to Indonesia.
Comments from Ratchaburi and Kelantan head coaches:
SATHIT BENSOH - Kelantan FA
“Ratchaburi played well and they had it quite easy in the first half. I felt sorry for the fans for not winning the Cup. We came back strongly in the second half and managed to hold them to a 3-3 draw but unfortunately, we lost concentration in the last few minutes.
No point in pointing fingers and putting the blame on the players as the most important thing now is for us to go back and work hard on several aspects including retaining composure and concentration on crucial moments. We’ve got good set of young players and this is something which I look forward as we prepare for the news season to start.”
CHRISTIAN ZIEGE - Ratchaburi
“I’m happy with tonight’s outcome as the team only got together for two weeks. We’ve adopted and injected new approach and styles in all areas and this tournament has helped us to prepare for the new season. The players were a bit tired but overall, it was a good tournament with good opponents.”
