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| AFC SOLIDARITY CUP 2016 |
Kuching: Coach Koji Gyotoku insists Nepal will not take Group A opponents Timor-Leste lightly as the South Asians get set to open their AFC Solidarity Cup Malaysia 2016 campaign at Negeri Stadium on Saturday.
With only three teams in Group A, Nepal have had to wait the longest of any side in the continental competition to play their opening encounter after sitting out the first round of fixtures.
But, after Timor-Leste suffered a 4-0 reversal to Brunei Darussalam in their first match of the tournament, Gyotoku (pictured, left) now know a win will secure their place in the semi-finals after just one game.
“The rain disrupted the play so much between Timor-Leste and Brunei so I cannot really say too much about that game,” said Gyotoku. “Both teams were equal in my opinion.
“That result doesn’t change things, we think the same as we did before. Timor-Leste weren’t that far behind in terms of quality and the condition of the pitch was a huge factor in the result so we will be focused on this game.”
Nepal go into the tie having played just one full international friendly since Gyotoku took charge in March – a 1-1 draw with Laos in May.
And with the mountainous nation currently unable to play home fixtures after their stadium was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, the AFC Solidarity Cup offers them a much needed chance to play competitively.
“Since the Laos match we haven’t played an international game,” added Gyotoku. “But we have had lots of time to prepare for this tournament.
“Mentally it’s difficult to wait so long for the first game but, even though it’s been four months since we played competitively, we’ve come here to win.”
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| Coaches of both teams during Press meet |
Timor-Leste, meanwhile, go into their second match of the competition knowing defeat will see them eliminated at the first hurdle and, given their inferior goal difference, even a draw would make last-four qualification unlikely.
Fabio Joaquim’s side will also be without striker Rufino Gama who, after missing two first-half chances against Brunei, was dismissed with 17 minutes to play.
“The next game will be very difficult because we need to win,” said Joaquim. ”I will change some players and some tactics, but not because of the mistakes we made in the first game.
“I’m not the kind of coach who will blame individuals for the first match – everyone was responsible, including myself.
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| head to head between Nepal and Leste |
“The players need to think about the mistakes they made and I need to think about the ones I made and then we can make sure they don’t happen again in the next game.
“We have one suspension and I’ll make three or four changes. We need to forget the past result and focus on the Nepal game.”
Source: the-afc.com
Photo: Lagardère Sports
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