Victory over Kuala Lumpur City FC morale booster for MUFC - Zainal Abidin

MELAKA: Melaka United Football Club's (MUFC) first win over Kuala Lumpur City FC in their Super League match last night, gives the squad a positive boost for their upcoming clash against league leaders Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).

MUFC head coach Zainal Abidin Hassan said the 2-1 victory against Kuala Lumpur City FC 2-1 was very meaningful for his charges after going through five competitive matches under a tight schedule since the Super League campaign began about two weeks ago.

He said the fighting spirit and high discipline displayed by his players were the key elements to the team's much-needed victory.

"It is important for us to make full use of the league rest period to improve our performance as we are going to face a tough match against JDT," he told reporters after the match last night.

In the meeting at the Hang Jebat Stadium last night, MUFC's goals were contributed by two penalties converted by Alex Goncalves in the 51st and 81st minutes respectively, while the Warga Kota's consolation goal was netted by Abdul Azim Rahim in the 89th minute.

MUFC are scheduled to meet JDT at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri on April 2.

Zainal Abidin praised his players for their determination and a lot of hard work put in to find the back of the net.

Despite the victory, MUFC that have been dealt a blow with the deduction of three points in the 2021 Super League competition following the failure to pay installments of salaries owed to players and officials based on the set schedule, remain eighth in the table with four points.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur City FC coach Bojan Hodak said despite losing the match, he was full of praise for his squad for not going down without a fight.

-- BERNAMA