Don’t concede early, Ong warns Rhinos
Published on: Thursday, November 09, 2023
By: GL Oh
(From left) Hai Phong FC’s captain Joseph Mbolimbo, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem, Ong and Dominic Tan at Wednesday’s press conference.
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC are all set to avenge the defeat by Hai Phong FC in the AFC Cup group tie last month as the two sides clash again tonight (Thursday) at the Likas Stadium.
They lost to the Vietnamese side 2-3 in the first leg away tie and both are currently occupying the top two places in Group H with six points each, while in third place are PSM Makasar of Indonesia followed by Hougang United FC from Singapore.
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Head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee hopes the home ground advantage will give them the edge but at the same time warned the players against complacency.
“We have maintained the same intensity in training since the last match against Hai Phong and this will definitely assist us for the return leg despite the lack of competition for such a long period.
“I hope we will produce a better performance tomorrow because it is a very important game in our group for us to progress to the next round automatically.
“I also believe playing at home gives us the advantage but we cannot afford to take it too easy,” he said on Wednesday.
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He also said the players must learn from the mistakes they made in the last match and not to concede early.
“Based on our record here in Likas, we tend to score early or in the opening half, but it doesn’t matter whether we are able to take a one or two-goal lead or not, what is important is not to let our guards down and let in goals.
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“We must take our chances to score as there will be no goals if we fail to do so. I believe we can achieve the target if we can keep our focus and maintain our discipline until the final whistle.”
He added that he will have to take into account the fitness of several players including imports Miguel Angel Garrido Cifuentes, Gabriel Peres and Telmo Ferreira as well as Darren Lok, Dominic Tan and Stuart Wilkin who were on national duty before naming the squad.
He also urged the fans to come and support the team as their presence will motivate the players and lift their spirit further for the crunch match.
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