The Argentine coach was surprised by SLNA's performance and justified the defeat.

In the post-match press conference, coach Raul Longhi said: “In the first half, we did not play very well. The pitch was like that, the grass was not flat, so we had to combine short balls, one touch more. In this match, my students made many mistakes. And while we were attacking to find the equalizer, unfortunately we conceded the second goal."

Coach Raul Longhi of the Malaysian champions highly appreciated SLNA's discipline. Photo: Thanh Cuong

"Before the match, we also assessed that this would be a very difficult match. We did not have much information about the two U23 Vietnam players of SLNA. But in general, we assessed that SLNA is a team that plays quickly and has good technique. The players play with discipline and are well organized. SLNA has several individuals who play very well. I was impressed with player number 20, Phan Van Duc, he has good technique and is skillful.

As for foreign player Michael Olaha, he is tall, strong, good in the air and good at pressing. When we return to Malaysia to play at home in the second leg, we will definitely have a completely different performance when we play on a better grass surface to play according to our own intentions," said the Argentine strategist.

Coach Nguyen Duc Thang and best player of the match Phan Van Duc at the press conference. Photo: Thanh Cuong

As for coach Nguyen Duc Thang, he highly appreciated the spirit of the players and considered that the secret to help SLNA defeat the opponent. “We would like to thank the fans who came to the stadium in today's match, they are a great motivation for the SLNA players. I am very satisfied with all the players, they followed the tactics set out by the coaching staff. Before the match, we assessed the opponent as a very strong team. I encouraged the players to be confident in the match, to be in the best condition. As for the two U23 Vietnam players, I told them never to put pressure on themselves to score and to play in the most comfortable way.”

Phan Van Duc - the best player of the match and had many moments of tormenting the Johor Darul Tazim defense, spoke humbly about his goal: "I am very happy to have scored a goal in today's match. Before the match, the head coach told me to play comfortably and luckily I scored a goal. Through this match, I have learned a lot because they are a strong team."

SLNA borrows Hai Phong goalkeeper to replace Nguyen Manh

(Baonghean.vn) - SLNA Club has successfully negotiated a deal to borrow goalkeeper Phan Dinh Vu Hai from Hai Phong to join the team before the 2018 season, in the context of goalkeeper Nguyen Manh suffering from a long-term injury.