Aidil Sharin “I think we deserved to win this match”

Cats boss credits second-half changes but says the team must be more clinical in attack

Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak believes his side should have beaten Kitchee SC rather than drawing 1-1 in their AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) Group H match at Stadium Taha Ariffin on Thursday night. He admitted the Cats must be sharper in front of goal if they want to turn pressure into wins.

“I think we deserved to win this match,” Aidil told the post-match press conference.

He said he did not want to belittle Kitchee, but insisted his side created chances and kept the pressure on in search of a goal. “If you don’t score, you don’t win matches,” he said. “So it’s not only about defending. We also need to be sharper in attack.”

Aidil explained that Kuching’s improved second-half display came from tactical changes at half-time, aimed at closing the space in midfield that the visitors had exploited. He said the Cats had allowed Kitchee’s centre-backs to step into that area, which gave the Hong Kong side a numerical advantage in the middle.

He praised the impact of Ryan Lambert, who came on in the second half, and said further changes helped Kuching raise the pressure and play with more attacking intent.

Aidil stressed that fixing the problems is a job for the whole team, with cohesion and discipline the main areas to improve. All players, he said, must do their duties in both attack and defence, rather than leaving responsibility to players in certain positions.

Although the result fell short of his target, he said he valued his players’ commitment and saw positive signs in the team’s understanding with one another.

The coach also admitted that a busy schedule makes it hard to give players enough recovery time and limits training before the next game. He described the club’s first ACL2 campaign as a learning process, and said Kuching need to manage the demands of playing in five competitions this season. More focus must go to the league, he said, to stay competitive and earn a return to the Asian stage next season.

Kuching have one point from two Group H games. They travel to South Korea to face Gangwon FC on 29 October.

Credit Photo : AFC