Kurniawan
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto was a relieved man on Sunday as the Rhinos’ 2-1 win over Terengganu FC snapped a four-game winless streak in the Super League campaign.
Gabon international midfielder Levy Madinda scored from the spot and made the assist that Liberian striker Sam Johnson slotted home confidently to set Sabah up for the first win of the campaign.
As the score suggests, it was not an easy win as the much-fancied Terengganu FC reduced the deficit late through Jordan Mintah, although it was a little too late to save them at least a draw.
Describing the first three points of the campaign as ‘very valuable’, Kurniawan hoped the victory would have done a lot of good for his underfired squad as they look to produce similar fighting performance and positive result in future matches.
“We were really glad to have won all three points which were very valuable for the team.
“It was certainly not an easy task especially with the situation we were in prior to the game…we have lost our three previous matches.
“Obviously we played under tremendous pressure you can feel in each of the players,” said Kurniawan after the game.
The Indonesian trainer however said a pep talk just before the game may have done wonders on the squad on the night.
“I told them how I felt that the ‘Sabahan’ spirit has been missing from their games in the competition and I wanted them to show it tonight (Sunday).
“I also said I’m ready and willing to take the blame and be criticised but they are not going to get an answer from me.
“It is them (players) who will give the answer by doing their talking on the field with their performance and the result…that was what I’ve asked from my players.
“In the end, they really made me proud. They were very disciplined despite playing under pressure where everyone was expecting us to win.
“The players knew what their responsibilities and they really showed it and carried them out efficiently on the field which ultimately won us the three points,” he added.
Commeting further on the game, Kurniawan said the squad reverted to a 4-3-3 formation with the notable change to centre back Park Tae Su’s role where he was deployed as defensive midfielder while Ristro Mitrevski partnering captain Rawilson Batuil at the back.
He said the move was to make sure Park would keep a close eyes on midfielder Makan Konate, whom Kurniawan said was Terengganu FC’s main playmaker.
“I know Makan Konate well because he has played in Indonesia for a long time. Park was assigned to follow him around to limit his influence on the game.
“We had also Alto Linus and Dendy Lowa at fulbacks because we knew Terengganu FC have very quick players on the flanks.
“Overall, I’m happy with how we approached the match,” said Kurniawan.
Meanwhile, Kurniawan said the 12-day gap before their next fixture would be important to further strengthen the team, especially chemistry and combination of the squad.
“Frankly speaking the fact that our new foreign players arrived much later had affected our preparation…we were not able to conduct our pre-season training with a complete squad.
“That is why it’s good that we will have 12 days to train before the next game…we will evaluate where our weaknesses are and try to maximise our strength,” added Kurniawan.
As for Terengganu FC head coach Nafuzi Zain, the defeat was a disappoinment considering that it was his team best showing thus far in the league.
“It was our best performance in five matches although it was not the result that we had hoped for.
“I can’t fault the players because they gave their all. I salute and respect them for that…we will try even harder in our next game,” he said.
After five round of matches, Sabah have collected four points (one win, one draw, three losses) to move up to 10th in 12-team league while Terengganu remained second on 10 points (three wins, one draw, one defeat), a single point behind leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim.
The Rhinos will next face Kuala Lumpur City FC in Cheras on April 3.
The post Win eases pressure on Kurniawan appeared first on Borneo Post Online.