The Gladiators left it late to see off their Group A opponents.
Armed Forces coach B. Satiananthan admits a wave of relief crashed over him after watching his side secure a late victory over Johor FA in the Malaysia Cup.
The Group A leaders had to wait until the 81st minute before putting the lock on all three points when Christie Jayaseela gave them breathing space with a third goal before Bruno Martelotto’s made it 4-1 in stoppage time.
Satiananthan conceded they should have wrapped up the game well before that point and was pleased with the four-goal haul but refuted suggestions Johor’s tactic of “falling like hot potatoes” stifled his side’s momentum.
“It was tougher than the scoreline suggest,” a relieved Satiananthan told Sports247. “Johor were chasing down all the loose balls but were also falling like hot potatoes. But that is their tactics and game play. It is up to them, but they were always falling to break our momentum.
“I am glad we managed to get four goals in the end. We could have had more if we had better delivery of the ball,”
ATM can qualify for the quarterfinal’s with a win in their pneultimate group game against struggling Selangor on September 17.
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