It was a tight contest at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council Stadium on Friday as JDTII emerged victorious thanks a 64th minute goal from veteran Amirulhadi Zainal that gave the home side a 1-0 win over UKM FC in the first leg of the final.
More importantly for JDTII and head coach Ervin Boban, the result also meant they managed to prevent UKM from getting an away goal but the former Johor player is adamant that the tie is still far from over and expects a tough fight from UKM in the second leg on October 12.
"We started slow but managed to improve on our game in the second half to be more aggressive. Like I said, I respect UKM and I was right because it wasn't easy for my players to overcome them in the match but we finally managed to get the goal we wanted.
"One goal is better than no goal and it was also vital that they didn't get to score. Overall I have to praise my players but we have to work harder in the second leg to get more goals," said Boban after the match.
As for UKM who were without their head coach Sulaiman Hussin who is away on a AFC Pro Diploma Coaching course in Japan, they had a game littered with mistakes and assistant head coach Juzaili Samion pinpointed that as the reason why his team failed to produce an away goal in Pasir Gudang.
"If we look at the match, we should have at least gotten a draw. It can't be denied that JDTII are a good team but our players made mistakes in conceding that goal. I saw my players able to create chances but the finishing touch wasn't there and I hope we can improve on that by the return leg," said Juzaili.
The second leg will be played at KLFA Stadium in Cheras and UKM having lost in last year's final to Terengganu FC II will be hoping it be second time lucky for them in 2019.
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