KUALA LUMPUR - Petaling Jaya (PJ) City FC, fielding an all-local line-up, sneaked away with a point after holding Perak FC 0-0 in their opening Super League match at the Stadium Perak in Ipoh tonight.
The home team, fielding two Brazilians - Leandro Dos Santos and Raianderson da Costa Morais - as well the newly-naturalised Guilherme de Paula, failed to breach the defensive wall put up by 'The Phoenix’.
PJ City’s coach P. Maniam praised the seriousness and commitment shown by his players, who managed to steal one point when playing at the opponent's court.
He said that this was because it was not easy to balance the action of the home team that dominates the game from the beginning to the end of the match.
He also reminded the players not to be complacent as there are still many difficult matches to face in the coming weeks.
On the other hand, Perak FC coach Chong Yee Fatt said that he was satisfied with the overall performance of his players despite only managing a 0-0 draw with PJ City in the Super League match at the Perak Stadium last night.
He said there were several chances produced by the players during the 90 minutes match but they failed to be utilised to score goals.
“Praise should also be given to the opposing team as they managed to break some of our movements. We will try to fix our weaknesses so that we will be better prepared for our next match,” he said.
Commenting on the action against Sri Pahang in Kuantan on March 10, he said that he may make some changes to ensure three full points for the team.
“Thus far, all players are still free from injuries but maybe I will make some changes due to the relatively tight schedule of matches,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sarawak United FC (SUFC) grabbed all three points when they beat Kelantan United 2-0 in a Premier League match at Stadium Hang Jebat in Melaka.
SUFC went ahead through D. Christie Jayaseelan in the 12th minute off a cross from the left by Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.
SUFC doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Nigerian Uche Agba slotted home from the penalty spot after Norshahrul was fouled in the box.
SUFC chose to make the stadium in Melaka their home ground this season after the Sarawak government decided to make it compulsory for any individuals entering the state to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, thus disrupting their league schedule. - Bernama, 8 March, 2021
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