KUALA LUMPUR – Selangor FC head coach Nidzam Jamil admitted that his team, with an average squad age of 28 years, has a long way to go to reach the level of elite football clubs.
This comes after Selangor was trashed 6-1 in the FA Cup final at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night.
Nidzam said this loss reflects the areas that his side needs to improve in the games to come.
He also added that they need more experience playing in cup finals to avoid enduring the same painful fate again.
“I’m not happy at all with our performance. This shouldn’t be happening, and we need to work harder and be better prepared if we hope to be in a better position after this.
“JDT has been in good form for over a decade, and they also have more experience playing in finals than we do in recent years. With their experience, they will definitely punish us if we make mistakes.
“When we scored to make it 2-1, our mentality improved. But we lost focus after conceding the third goal.
“On top of that, losing Alexander Agyarkwa in the dying minutes of the first half disrupted our rhythm on the pitch, which severely impacted our gameplay as a whole.
“I see this as a reflective moment for our team—we need to push ourselves and play in more cup finals if we hope to become a better team in the years to come,” Nidzam said in a post-match conference.
At the same time, Nidzam chose not to comment on the controversial refereeing by match referee Nazmi Nasaruddin.
The Red Giants received a total of six yellow cards out of the eight shown in the match.
Known for his calm demeanour throughout the season, Nidzam and his assistant Conor Nestor Laurence also found themselves in the referee’s book, receiving yellow cards shortly after Fazly Mazlan’s booking in the fifth minute.
“I have nothing to say about the referee and prefer not to speak about his way of refereeing,” Nidzam added.
The 45-year-old, who took charge in March this year, suffered the worst defeat of his coaching career, as his side lost 6-1 to JDT in the FA Cup final in front of 80,350 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium yesterday.
The emphatic defeat also marked the Red Giants’ heaviest loss in a tournament final in their 119-year history.
JDT’s goals were scored by Juan Muniz (26th, 68th, and 90th minutes), Arif Aiman (43rd), Bergson da Silva (62nd), and Heberty Fernandes (76th), while Selangor’s only goal came from Alvin Fortes (59th). – August 25, 2024