Kedah FA coach Tan Cheng Hoe is refusing to buy into talk that his team have already booked their place in the Malaysia Cup final despite their 3-1 home win over defending champions Pahang FA in the first leg of the semifinal on Sunday night.
The Canaries showed grit and determination as goals from Namkung Woong, Farhan Roslan and Khyril Muhymeen Zambri at the Darulaman stadium gave Cheng Hoe the advantage he was seeking.
However, despite holding a two-goal advantage going into their second leg clash on Oct. 24, the crafty tactician knows that the job is only half done.
"We still have another 90 minutes to play in the second leg," Cheng Hoe told New Straits Times. "Whenever possible, you don't want to concede a goal and because Pahang have scored an away goal it will make it more difficult for us."
In their quarterfinal, Kedah underlined the value of scoring an away goal. They trailed last year's finalists Kelantan 3-1 in the away leg before turning things around in front of their own fans with a 3-0 victory to progress to the last four.
Argentine striker Matias Conti's last minute goal for Zainal Abidin's team means that the defending champions still have a way back into the tie.
Cheng Hoe added: "But I have to give praise to my players because to score three goals against a strong team like Pahang shows how determined they were.
"It was not an easy thing to do and I believe the players have the confidence and ability to face the task ahead in Kuantan."
Zainal, on the other hand, is still seething from his defenders' failure to keep their concentration over 90 minutes. He's seeking to address that issue before the two teams take to the field again in Kuantan.
"Concentration is the most important thing in a game and we saw how our carelessness in the final minute led to a goal," said Zainal, who has already won the FA Cup and Charity Shield with Pahang this year. "Just before the final whistle, we lost possession in Kedah's half [from a free-kick] which led to their third goal being scored."
Oct. 24 is the date set for Darul Makmur to welcome Kedah to Pahang's fortress. If the home team manage to score early in the game, this semifinal second leg clash could go on to become one of the classic matches in recent Malaysia Cup history.