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Ukah still in Maniam's good graces despite conceding two penalties in two matches


BY        ZULHILMI ZAINAL       Follow on Twitter


Although Nigerian centre back Ugo Ukah conceded a penalty which led to Terengganu's equaliser in their 1-1 Malaysia Cup opener draw on Tuesday, Selangor head coach Maniam Pachaiappan refused to blame him for the dropped points at home.

In their 4-2 victory over T-Team in their Super League match last Saturday, Ukah had also conceded a penalty late in the match, leading to the Titans' second goal.

"He played well, but sometimes these things (mistakes) happen in those situations.

"But he has experience so he's got to learn a lesson and avoid repeating it in the next games," Maniam said in the post-match press conference.

Commenting on the match itself, the former Selangor player said that his charges played well, but they were only let down by their finishing.

"We had a good game, created a lot of chances, our possession was good, we were dangerous when attacking.

"(But) the final product was not there, and we have to improve on this," he responded.

In the match that was held at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium, the hosts took the lead two minutes from halftime through Rufino Segovia's goal after Liberian striker Forkey Doe earlier missed a penalty in the 31st minute. However, the visitors were awarded a penalty themselves in the 64th minute after former Canada international Issey Nakajima-Farran was fouled by Ukah, and Nakajima-Farran did not miss.

Maniam's post-match interview

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