Group H: What the coaches said…

AFC CUP 2009

Home United coach PN Sivaji believes early goals proved the difference as the Singapore side romped to a 5-1 victory over Valencia of the Maldives to go top of Group H in the AFC Cup at Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday.

Firdaus Idros and Peres de Oliveira scored in the first seven minutes and Ludovick Kengne and Juma’at Jantan also struck before the break as Home raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time.

Marcelin Nkemi pulled a back in the second half but Kengne netted his second of the game to restore the four-goal cushion.

“We have been dominant in the past and we have created chances,” said Sivaji. “The real difference today was that we scored early.

“The first two goals went in after seven minutes, and you could then see that the players were showing a lot of confidence.

“But we began to make mistakes and lose possession early in the second half, and that was a problem because they started to push people forward. There was a period of pressure from them, and they could have got more than one goal.

Valencia coach Josef Dzurjack felt his young players struggled to compete with their more experienced opponents.

“I am not happy with my team’s performance today,” he said.

“Home United were a much better team, of course. But I think we could have made it more difficult for them.

“My team is a very young team and they were very afraid of the opponents today. But that is the way youngsters are. Sometimes I see improvements, but today the team was sliding back down in their progress.”

Meanwhile, Nguyen Anh Duc’s equaliser deep into stoppage time secured Vietnam league champions Binh Duong a 1-1 draw against Thailand’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).

Binh Duong coach Francisco Vital had made a number changes in a bid to rescue something from the game and it eventually paid dividends as Anh Duc struck in the fifth minute of added time.

“We tried everything we could to find an equaliser,” said Vital. “I even put centre-back Helio forward in order to improve the attacking pressure.

“We wasted many clear chances and nearly paid a big price.

“I am happy with my players’ performance. They never gave up until the last minute. That is what I want to see in them.”

Meanwhile, PEA head coach Thongsuk Sampahangsit felt his side had done enough to take all three points.

“It was a good game and played in a good spirit,” he said.

“We took the lead but then just got one point.

“It was a big pity that we could not protect our lead. We prepared well for the match, watched the tape of the first-leg match but still could not win.”