| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam coach Kwon Oh Son heaped praise on winger Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Faiq on his return to the first team despite arriving from a long haul trip from the United Kingdom during the semi-final loss to Macau in the AFC Solidarity Cup on Saturday.
The national team were denied a place in Tuesday’s final after losing out in a 4-3 penalty shoot-out loss moments after Faiq unluckily struck his shot against the post having left two Macau players in his wake late in the second period of extra time.
His individual qualities on the pitch has not left unnoticed as Kwon was quick to point out how influential the player was to the team.
The Leicester City starlet’s return to the starting line-up was a welcoming boost to Kwon’s charges given his international experience at the club reserves level.
“Faiq was very important, he brought us a lot of positivity and he was excellent,” Kwon told AFC.
“I want to praise every aspect of his performance because he only arrived from the UK yesterday and it’s a 15-hour journey and he was ready in every way and he played the whole game,” said the South Korea tactician.
Kwon believes the winger could reach far greater heights in his progress in football and acknowledged his footballing status in the region.
Brunei’s goal-scorer Shahrazen Said keeps a watchful eye on a Macau player during their AFC Solidarity Cup semi-final tie.
“He was excellent, he’s an icon of Brunei and for South East Asian football and he can grow to be a world-class player. It’s important to support him well,” the coach added.
Meanwhile, the coach vented his frustration after seeing his side surrender their half-time lead despite a stellar performance from Faiq throughout the 120 minutes.
“The players fought really well for more than one hour with only 10 men,” said Kwon.
Kwon was surprised that his players performed well and could still create opportunities despite handicapped by goalkeeper Wardun Yussof’s sending-off in the second half.
“It’s true that really I didn’t expect the players to play this well with 10 men. They were excellent and we had plenty of chances, which is amazing with 10 against 11,” he said.
“We were fully prepared for the game mentally, physically and technically as well.”
The coach also said that it is a crucial for his players to get into good condition for the Laos game and warned the difficulty of their opponents as a good side.
“Laos is also a very good team and only lost on penalties to Nepal,” said Kwon.
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