Yusri rues missing chance to pick up three points

PETALING JAYA: Kelantan coach Yusri Che Lah could not believe his side let victory slip through their hands.

The Red Warriors were leading Melaka 10 in their Super League clash through Shafiq Shaharudin’s strike in the 11th minute but a lastminute penalty from Yahor Zubovich deep into added time earned Melaka a point at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Saturday.

The disappointing draw left the Red Warriors mired in the relegation zone in 11th spot in the 12team standings with 15 points from 19 matches.

Yusri said it was hard for him to accept the result as the team needed to collect maximum points from their last four matches.

“We had three points in our grasp but we conceded deep into added time through a penalty kick. I still have to give credit to the players who kept their discipline and limited Melaka’s threat,” said the former international.

“We created many chances but could not finish it. Our striker Cristiano (Santos) is getting blamed for not scoring in four matches but he actually assisted others to score and is among our key figures in our relegation battle.”

Kelantan’s next three matches are against Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in Larkin on Friday, Terengganu in Kuala Terengganu (July 23) and Pahang in Kota Baru (July 29).

Despite the overwhelming task against the next three opponents, Yusri is still optimistic his team can avoid the drop to the Premier League next season.

“Shafiq did well to score. He does not get many chances but his finishing is lethal. We need to get him to start being consistent,” added the Perlisborn coach.