Fans losing patience with Red Giants
coach Karsten Neitzel could only blame his misfiring players after surrendering their lead to end up losing 2-1 to Kedah in a Super League match at MBPJ Stadium on Tuesday.
The Red Giants went ahead through Oliver Buff in the 33rd minute but the Red Eagles turned on the heat in the second half with Kpah Sherman’s spotkick in the 79th minute and Tchetche Kipre’s winner in the 85th minute.
Selangor have mustered only two wins, two draws and three losses to place seventh in the 12-team table with eight points.
Although Neitzel laughed off reporters’ questions on his position with the team, Selangor’s finicky fans are starting to lose their patience with the team.
The German coach also refused to comment on the penalty kick awarded to Sherman after it seemed that the Liberian international had run into the back of Selangor defender Tim Heubach outside the box.
“We need to continue this performance, we were brave and we had so many chances to score. This is the first time this season we had created these many chances,” said Neitzel.
“You need a lot of power to play from the halfway line. After 50-60 minutes, the players didn’t have the energy.
“It’s a terrible result, I need to analyse the players’ performances.”
Kedah coach Aidil Shahrin Sahak said his team’s resilience made the difference as they were without several players, including towering Brazilian centreback Renan Alves who is still recovering from a muscle tear.
It was Kedah’s fourth straight win for 16 points to place second in the standings.
“We managed to bounce back from a goal down. It was not the best performance from us, maybe the pitch was a bit heavy.
“We talked in the changing room in the first half break. We made some changes here and there. The boys followed the game plan, those who came in as substitutes, stepped up and did a good job.
“The team is about team spirit, the players proved it. It’s not easy to mount a comeback against a team like Selangor,” added Aidil.