ZAINAL Abidin Hassan finally completed a collection of titles in the M-League by guiding Pahang to the Malaysia Cup on Saturday but his frustrated counterpart from Darul Tazim, Bojan Hodak was unhappy with the manner his expensive team lost the final.
Leading 2-1 against 10-man Pahang with 20 minutes left, it looked like nothing could stop Darul Tazim from winning their first major title before the miraculous fightback by the defending champions.
Despite Darul Tazim’s numerical advantage, Nigerian Dickson Nwakaeme levelled proceedings to force the match into extra-time before Pahang won 5-3 on penalties.
Zainal thanked the fans and management for their support and also praised his players for the near-perfect run this season.
“I have finally won my first Malaysia Cup as a coach. I had won the Super League in 2004 and the FA Cup in 2006, both with Pahang. I must thank Pahang for appointing me as their head coach again in March,” said Zainal.
“Saifulnizam’s Miswan’s sending off in the 68th minute was a blow and I felt it was an incorrect decision but the setback motivated my players in the remainder of the game. Referees are humans too and they can make mistakes.”
“With 10 players, I had to sacrifice striker Matias Conti by replacing him with defender Zeshan Rehman. I tried out the 4-4-1 formation and it paid dividends.”
Zainal made an unconventional move by selecting four defenders in Razman Roslan, Damion Stewart and Shahrizan Salleh and Zeshan for the penalty shootout and they did not disappoint him before midfielder Hafiz Kamal scored the winner from the spot.
“When I was a player, coaches preferred strikers to take penalties. However, I did not want to do that as the four defenders had better quality in training. They were more comfortable converting penalties,” said Zainal, who will turn 53 on Nov 9.
Zainal, however, may not remain in Pahang next season as it is learnt that the former international could be offered a post by the FA of Malaysia (FAM). Captain Razman, midfielder Hafiz and Fauzi Roslan have also signed with other teams.
“I love football and I must thank my best friend Dollah Salleh for guidance. We often share our knowledge about football. I am not sure about next season but Pahang’s target should be the AFC Cup, if they get a slot. We must go to the next level,” Zainal added.
The angry Hodak described Nwakaeme’s equaliser for Pahang as stupid.
“I have to use this word because some players were guilty of ball watching when Nwakaeme scored that goal. This kind of defending only happens in the junior league, not senior-level.
“Pahang fought hard and were physical. We always had issues with physical teams. However, we controlled the match and had two attempts hitting the post.
“I think losing on penalties is disappointing as statistically we were better. Overall, we had a good season. We won the league and reached the final here, so it is quite good, said Hodak, who will be handed a charge sheet on Monday by the FAM for failing to adhere to the dress code for the final.
The coach, who wore jeans on the bench after the whistle, could be fined or suspended or banned from the touchline for unspecified matches.
Hodak, however, wants to focus on preparing a better squad for the new season.
“I have one year left on my contract. It will be quite busy next season as we have the Asian Champions League, where we need to win a qualifying match to make the main stage. We have signed three of five targeted players for next season.”
It is learnt that Darul Tazim have signed Sarawak’s S. Chanturu, Terengganu’s Zubir Azmi and Selangor’s Farizal Marlias and S. Kunanlan.The Johor-side are said to be negotiating with Kelantan for Australia-born Brendan Gan.