Timor Leste Coach Blames Players For Defeat

KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia), Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Timor Leste's Brazilian coach Fabio Joaquim has blamed his players for loss of concentration in the second half of the match which saw them lose 0-4 in the opening match of the AFC Solidarity Cup played at the Sarawak Stadium Wednesday night. “I never expected this defeat, my players committed so many mistakes, especially in the second half, and after Brunei scored the first goal and later one of my players shown the red card, they totally lost their concentration. “We had chances in the first half, but we did not convert them into goals,” he told a press conference just after the match. Joaquim said he and the players should take responsibility for the defeat, and urged the team not to make the same mistakes when they played their next match against Nepal on Saturday (Nov 5). He also congratulated Brunei Darussalam on their victory. Joaquim said he might have to make changes to his starting line-up against Nepal, as one of his players was red carded, and another received a bad knock in the game. Meanwhile, Brunei coach Kwon Oh Son said he was very pleased with the resounding victory, and credited his players for the big win. He said his players managed to adapt well to the soggy pitch after the heavy downpour prior to the match. “We were fully prepared for the match, and the victory tonight (Wednesday night) will boost the players’ confidence,” he added. With five days rest before their next match against Nepal on Nov 8, Kwon said he would take the opportunity to analyse and prepare his team for the next challenge. -- BERNAMA