‘We fight until the end’: Faisal rallies Selangor for Buriram final battle

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor captain Faisal Halim vowed the Red Giants will fight until the end as they attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Buriram United in the second leg of the Asean Club Championship final at Chang Arena on Wednesday.

Selangor suffered a narrow defeat in the first leg at MBPJ Stadium last week after Suphanat Muenta scored the winner for the defending champions.

Despite the setback, Faisal insisted Selangor are still firmly in the fight for the regional title.

“We are only one goal down. That’s not a big difference,” said Faisal during the press conference in Buriram on Tuesday.

“We need to give everything tomorrow. This is the last match of the season and we need to give our absolute best for this cup. We fight for the best. We fight for our team. We will fight until the end.”

The national winger admitted Buriram would pose another difficult challenge, but believes Selangor are capable of turning the tie around.

Faisal also called on Selangor supporters to continue backing the team in their pursuit of the club’s first regional title.

“It’s not an easy game. It’s a fast-paced match and we’ve been waiting for this game,” he said.

“This is the last stand for us. Whatever we have trained and planned, we need to give everything tomorrow.

“Nothing to save, nothing to lose. We have 90 minutes, maybe 120 minutes. We cannot switch off and we cannot repeat the same mistakes.

“To our fans from Selangor, pray for us and support us. I promise you, the players and coaches will give the best game for you to watch.

“At least we come here to fight and show our character that our club can fight with any big club.”

Meanwhile, coach Kim Pan Gon also remains optimistic despite missing Jordanian duo Noor Al-Rawabdeh and Mohammad Abualnadi for the final.

“They are both big losses and very important players for us… still, I believe all our other players are ready and they have quality,” said Pan Gon.

“We don’t rely on one or two players. We play as a team, so I don’t think their absence will have a big effect on tomorrow’s game.”

Pan Gon also stressed the importance of scoring early against Buriram on Wednesday.

“How fast we can score is very important. In the first leg, Buriram defended when they scored. We have a plan for tomorrow.”

The ACC is also known as the Shopee Cup.

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المصدر: New Straits Times