Romel, who was announced as Man of The Match during the AFC Cup 2022 ASEAN Zonal Semi-final 6-5 penalty shootout win against Viettel following a scoreless draw after extra-time on Wednesday night at the Thong Nhat Stadium, credited the togetherness and attitude of the Kuala Lumpur City squad as the main reasons for their triumph here in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Responding to
members of the media during the post match press conference, the Columbian striker said,
“It’s team work. We are united as a team. We’ve prepared as to how we want to play the game and we showed our best. Maybe individually we’re not the best but we’re stronger as a team.”
Romel was almost like a midfielder again during the match, working his socks off from his striking position as the City Boys contained and frustrated the opponents all over the pitch. He even had the best chance to break the deadlock in the 76th minute, when his header off skipper Paulo Josue’s cross into the box, almost found the top right corner, if not for some acrobatic goalkeeping by Viettel’s Trần Nguyên Mạnh.
Commenting on the tactics employed that set them up for them for the draw after extra-time to force penalties as the decider, he revealed,
“In the 90 minutes and extra time, we tried to be compact and play together. We fought until the end, and we got to the next round.”
Twice ASEAN level champions in 1987 and 1989, when it was known as the ASEAN Champions’ Cup, back then a part of the AFC Asian Club Championship, the City Boys will once again meet fellow group mates PSM Makassar, of Indonesia in the ASEAN Zonal Final on August 24, 2022 at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, for a ticket to the Inter Zone Semi-Final against India’s Mohun Bagan.
To read the match report of Viettel vs KL City on 10/8/2022 (AFC Cup), please click COMING SOON
To watch the highlights of Viettel vs KL City on 10/8/2022 (AFC Cup), please click https://youtu.be/Pic615Sh4rY
To watch the complete match of Viettel vs KL City on 10/8/2022 (AFC Cup), please click https://www.the-afc.com/en/club/afc_cup.html