2 weeks Ago By Farah Azharie
KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu coach Badrul Afzan Razali admitted that a top-three finish is no longer within reach following their narrow 1-0 defeat to Selangor, but he remains hopeful of securing the fourth spot in the Super League.The Turtles are fifth in the standings with 32 points from 22 matches. Ahead of them are 2024-2025 Super League champions JDT (64 points), Selangor (49), Kuching City (36) and Sabah (36).
"With just two matches remaining, we have to be realistic. Our chances of finishing third are slim, so we focus on pushing for fourth. "We still have a chance, and we will keep fighting," he said.
Terengganu, who face Police and Kedah in their final two matches, are battling with Sabah and Kuching City in the race for fourth.However, Badrul acknowledged that injuries and a limited squad size have made the task more challenging."We only have 23 players available, including two goalkeepers.
We have been cautious with our training, considering the bad weather. Yesterday (Friday), due to heavy rain, we trained in a car park instead of the pitch," he said.Despite these setbacks, Badrul remains confident in his team's ability to finish fourth.
"I'm still motivating the players because we must end the season on a high. "Regardless of what happens with the other teams, we must focus on winning our last two games. That's all we can do now," he said.
He also explained his tactical decision to substitute Safawi Rasid during Saturday's match, giving Nelson Bonilla a chance despite the risk."Safawi was disappointed to be taken off, but I needed to take the risk. He played okay, but we weren't converting our chances.
"We needed to try something different," he said.Badrul lamented a familiar weakness that cost them late in the game."We were punished again in the final minutes for ball-watching, and it still haunts us.
But we'll regroup, and we'll go again," he said.© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.
