BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Selangor United head coach Abd Talib Sulaiman could not hide his disappointment at his side's round one FA Cup exit at the hands of amateur side Southern FC, when met by the press after the match.
In the match that was held at the Kajang Prison ground on late Tuesday afternoon, the third tier club took the lead through a penalty in the first half, but conceded two goals in the second half.
"It is very disappointing to have lost to a non-league side. We have to learn from this, and it is an expensive footballing lesson. We have to focus on the FAM Cup now.
"I can't say it's because of the hot weather, as both teams were playing under the hot sun. Our opponents had two chances that they put away, while we failed to score from ours. That's what separated the winners and the losers today," explained the former Selangor player.
Talib offered one more explanation for the shock defeat; that his men were playing under pressure against an underdog side that had nothing to lose in the tie.
"The pressure in the tie was definitely on us as the favourites, and this made my men unable to play well. Southern had nothing to lose; a win is a bonus and a morale booster.
"Whereas for us, anything apart from a win would be disappointing. However, it's better for us to absorb the pressure now, before the FAM Cup kicks off next week," he remarked.
