It was a memorable night for Gallifuoco (or fondly known as GG amongst his teammates) after the massive 6-5 sudden death penalty shootout win over Vietnam’s Viettel, following 120 minutes of regulation time and extra time that failed to produce a winner at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.
The City Boys walked into the game as underdogs, and expectedly, The Red Tornado came flying towards our door from all directions, but fortunately, Gallifuoco alongside Irfan, his partner at the heart of defence, marshalled the backline superbly and were able to contain their much heralded opponents while keeping the Red & White’s in with a fighting chance throughout the game.
“I’m always impressed by this team — our ability to stick together and work for each other even when the odds are stacked against us. This was a knockout game against an excellent team, (with a) much bigger budget than ours but our belief and drive are greater.”, the 28 year old shared in conversation with The Voice of City Boys on Saturday.
He continued, “When it comes to playing with Irfan for almost two years, we have built fantastic chemistry on and off the pitch. He’s not only my right-hand man on the field but a brother off the field.”
The Australian was asked about headcoach Bojan’s plan going into the match, and he responded by revealing that it did not quite work out as how the they hoped for.
Elaborating, he said “If Viettel’s goalkeeper didn’t save Romel’s header (in the 76th minute), the game plan was exactly as the coach planned for. Unfortunately for us, it was fantastic save (to keep Viettel in the game). This forced us into 120 minutes and penalties, but I believe we kept our composure and put our best foot forward in such high-pressure moments.”
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