KUALA LUMPUR – Omani football club Al-Seeb won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup title tonight after defeating Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City) 3-0 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Al-Seeb took the lead through Ali Al-Busaidi in the 22nd minute via a powerful attack at KL City goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza.
KL City had plenty of opportunities in the first half to level the score, but squandered their chances as their Omani opponent continued to lead with a second goal by Abdul Aziz Al Muqbali in the 37th minute, assisted by Salaah Said Al Yahyaei.
As the play resumed into the second half, Al-Seeb – which had more possessions of the ball – gave little chance for the City Boys to catch up.
The Omani team also scored their third goal through Muhsen Al Ghassani in the 69th minute.
Speaking to the media after the match, Al-Seeb head coach Rasheed Jabar Al-Yafai said their victory was a dream come true as the team had created history by claiming the title for the first time.
He added that the key to their success included the players’ mental toughness, which changed the course of the game.
“We worked hard to come to this point. The players did a good job and were mentally prepared from the beginning, which shows that our system was effective.
“They (KL City) had many chances to score, including during the free kick, but we could not allow them to and quickly defended our position,” he said, adding that the victory was the biggest achievement of his coaching career.
Meanwhile, KL City head coach Bojan Hodak reiterated that their accomplishment in reaching the final was unexpected, as they have overcome tougher opponents, including ATK Mohun Bagan and Sogdiana Jizakh, in the AFC Cup interzone semifinal stage last month.
“Let’s be realistic with our results. We have come a long way to get to this stage.
“We may not have scored any, but Kevin (Ray Mendoza) is the best goalkeeper, and has saved us many times in the past two years.
“To win, you just need a little bit of luck too. If we had scored in the first half, maybe the situation would have been different, but we made mistakes that Al-Seeb was immediately able to take advantage of,” said Hodak. – The Vibes, October 23, 2022
