Kuala Lumpur City’s 2-0 win over Sri Pahang last Sunday on Kuantan was only their second win on the road this season, but more importantly it marked an improvement to the City Boys’ record compared to the previous Super League season. In the 11 away league fixtures of 2021, the Red and White had a win-draw-loss record of 1-5-5, with their sole victory then also coming against the Elephants.
Gallifuoco, who has featured in 24 of 25 matches across all competitions in 2022, only missing the 2-3 loss to Kedah DA in Alor Setar due to suspension for his sending off in the season’s curtain raiser 3-3 draw with Selangor in Cheras, is among the key defensive lynchpins for the city slickers’ current unbeaten run of six matches, consisting of four wins and two draws, since the hiding received at the hands of Johor DT at the start of August. Together with Irfan, the pair have formed a formidable partnership in the heart of defence that has seen the City Boys concede only 5 goals in this run that includes 3 clean sheets and in the face of international opposition from Vietnam (Viettel), Indonesia (PSM Makassar) and India (ATK Mohun Bagan), as well as high flying teams in the Super League : Negeri Sembilan and Sabah, and a resurgent S Pahang.
The 28-year old Sydney born native, who has also contributed in the goals for department with the opener in Kota Kinabalu during the recent 2-2 draw with Sabah, had a special message of appreciation for the City Boys’ loyal following and to his teammates, after the triumph over Sri Pahang, our 7th conquest this year.
“First of all, to the fans… THANK YOU! You all really are our 12th man and we are so incredibly proud to go out and put everything we have into making you proud. Your support is our extra motivation, through this crazy schedule and against these tough opponents”, he said in reference to the City Boys being handed a challenging fixture programme of 4 matches in 15 days that involves close to 17,000km’s of travel from Cheras to Likas to Kolkata, India to Kuantan and soon to Melaka.
“And to the team, I’ll keep it simple, as long as we keep doing what we do and giving everything we have out on the pitch, there’s no limit to what we can achieve together”, said Gallifuoco who is fondly known as GG, and has publicly stated on his social media channels that he considers his teammates as his ‘La Famiglia’ (The Family), a testament towards how high he regards them all and their mentality to stick together and fight for each other even through tough times.
With a trip to Melaka United beckoning this Thursday (October 15, 2022), signalling the end of their marathon journey before the start of the international window that would allow the team some much needed rest and recuperation before they go again, Gallifouco was asked how was the team coping in this gruelling phase of games coming in thick and fast.
“I would be lying if I said we weren’t tired, but the boys know the importance of what is at stake, and it’s these moments where you must look deep inside and find that extra gear! Time and time again, my teammates do that excellently. The crazy travel between Sabah, India and Pahang was a great example”, he explained.
Continuing, he added,
“It is only natural that with schedules like this, there is always an increased chance of injuries. During this time, we’ve had our great physiotherapy team who has been helping us with recovery sessions to help lighten the load and make sure we’re giving our bodies the recovery it needs.”
“We are lucky to have incredible coaching and physiotherapist staff who work their magic in helping with the medical and scientific side of things.”
“Other than that, the team has a great chemistry which means we all want the best for each other and are all happy to give each other a helping hand”, crediting the ‘La Famiglia’ bond the team members have to carry them through whatever obstacle faced.
To read the match report of S Pahang vs KL City on 11/9/2022 (Super League), please click COMING SOON
To watch the highlights of S Pahang vs KL City on 11/9/2022 (Super League), please click https://youtu.be/FCo7DbgyCuQ
To watch the complete match of S Pahang vs KL City on 11/9/2022 (Super League), please click https://youtu.be/yb2MiLHXYSg