No excuses: Kelantan City deserved to win, says Daniel Gimenez

Daniel Gimenez offered no excuses after Negeri Sembilan FC lost 2-0 to Kelantan City in the first leg of the FA Cup round of 16 at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.

The Negeri Sembilan coach said Kelantan City had played better and deserved to win, while his own team failed to do what it needed to do. “Maybe we were too confident or did not respect an opponent who deserved respect. But football puts everyone in their place. We lost 2-0 and must accept the defeat,” he said.

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Maybe we were too confident or did not respect an opponent who deserved respect. But football puts everyone in their place. We lost 2-0 and must accept the defeat.

Gimenez dismissed heavy rain as a reason for the result, saying both teams faced the same conditions and had to adapt. He also acknowledged that the congested schedule was abnormal, but said the team had to deal with reality rather than use it as an excuse.

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They have quality and it is something that can be trained. But they also need a natural element, which is attitude. We need to show a better attitude on the pitch, in training and everywhere else.

The Spanish coach said Negeri Sembilan could have performed better and urged the players to recover the attitude they had shown during pre-season matches. He said the squad had quality and had given its best in each game, but still needed time to adjust to the team’s playing style.

“They have quality and it is something that can be trained. But they also need a natural element, which is attitude. We need to show a better attitude on the pitch, in training and everywhere else,” Gimenez said. He added that if anyone had to be blamed, it should be him, because he selected the team and set the tactics. He said the second leg could still bring the result Negeri Sembilan wanted.

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Whatever happens, if there is one person to blame, it is me and not the players.