Selangor FC head coach Kim Pan-gon has urged his players to step out of the shadows and seize the early advantage when the Malaysian club host Nam Ðinh FC of Vietnam in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ first leg semi-finals at MBPJ Stadium on Wednesday.
The Korean tactician is eager for the Red Giants to translate their current domestic form onto the regional stage, with forward Faisal Halim, Chrigor Moraes and goalkeeper Kalamullah Al-Hafiz primed to play big roles in the club’s quest for regional supremacy.
“Last two games, our players showed their characteristics with attacking team, and very strong defending. Our players should have gained a lot of confidence for this match,” said Kim following two domestic league wins which saw his team score 10 goals and concede none.
“We must win in front of our spectators before we go for the away game, we want to have a big advantage.”
Along with Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, who face Shopee Cup™ defending champions Buriram United FC of Thailand in the other semi-final tie, they are the first two Malaysian clubs to advance into the knock-out stage of the tournament.
Kim, formerly the head coach of Malaysia, Hong Kong and Ulsan HD, believes his side have every chance of defeating their visitors, who will be powered by in-form Brazil-born striker Nguyễn Xuân Son, the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals.
“In this region, normally people say Thailand and Vietnam are ahead of Malaysia,” said Kim. “But tomorrow, we want to show that Malaysia can compete, strong enough to compete against Vietnam or Thailand teams. If we can get into the final representing Malaysia, it will be very meaningful for the people of Malaysia.
“Our team is all aware that this game is crucial for our club, for this season especially.”
Appointed in January, Kim’s guidance has seen a renaissance for Selangor, who have lost only once in 18 matches. He likes what he has seen so far but knows the work is far from finished. Faisal is the team’s leading scorer with four goals in the Shopee Cup™ while Brazil’s Chrigor has 23 goals under his belt in the domestic league.
“For our team’s DNA, we always want to control and dominate the game. That’s our characteristic and philosophy. We don’t feel we are the underdogs, especially at home.
“Tomorrow, hopefully Nam Ðinh will come here to attack us so we can provide a very exciting game to the fans.”
Nam Ðinh head coach Vũ Hồng Việt will be counting on his reliable defence, which has conceded only three goals for the best record in the group phase, to snuff out the threats posed by Faisal and Chrigor.
“I have watched and studied their games,” said Hồng Việt. “They are a team with a strong style, high intensity, high physicality, and will be a tough team to play against.
“I find some players with great qualities, No. 7 (Faisal), No. 91 (Chrigor) and their two midfielders are great players.”
Hồng Việt added that Nam Ðinh, who have won seven matches, drawn one and lost one since returning to the helm, will go on the offensive despite being away from home.
“My own philosophy is that I’m an attacking coach. I always prefer to be more offensive. So I think the game tomorrow will be very entertaining to the fans,” he said.
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