Football

Kelantan first, then Malaysia Cup – Penang determined to turn things around

Just a couple of weeks ago, Penang would have been derided for targeting almost anything.

But after their victory stunning victory against Felda United last Sunday, Penang has newfound, unshakable confidence. The Panthers beat Felda United 1-0 and held on to that score even after Mafry Balang got sent off and they were reduced to 10-men.

Up next, the Panthers will face Kelantan at the Batu Kawan Stadium this Saturday in a Super League fixture. A fired up Penang will give it their all the secure their second win of the season and rake in another 3 points.

Kelantan, on the other hand, has just suffered a defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim, and will be looking to regain their confidence and make up for it this Saturday as well. It will be an intense match between the Panthers and The Red Warriors.

Penang’s new head coach Zainal Abidin Hassan has expressed that he is happy with his team’s current progress and positive results. Leveraging on that, he also thinks it’s absolutely realistic for Penang to target qualifying for the Malaysia Cup.

That has been Penang’s target from the start of the season, and it seems more plausible now than ever before.

“I hope they show greater commitment to win and collect another three points to survive in the Malaysia Cup when playing at home against Kelantan this Saturday,” he told Bernama.

However, Zainal Abidin Hassan noted that there are still room for improvement, and they need to continue working hard if they want to secure a winning streak and improve their Super League standings.

“Even though The Panthers chalked up their first win, I feel the squad have room to improve — especially in the defence and frontline.” the coach added.

Penang are currently still at the bottom of the Super League table, with a total of 5 points after 9 matches played.

Other posts by