BANGKOK: Kedah coach Azaari Khor Abdullah admitted that while he was pleased his side have secured a place in the next round of the AFC Cup he was disappointed with the performance in the 3-1 defeat to Chonburi on Tuesday.
The Malaysians secured second place in Group G after Eastern Athletic had slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Hanoi in the other group game.
"I want to give my congratulations to Chonburi," said Azaari. "I'm happy that we've qualified for the second round.
“I'm a bit disappointed with our performance tonight.
”We were trying to go all out in the second half but when we got the news (that Eastern had lost) we wanted to play it safe."
Chonburi coach Kiatisuk Senamuang was pleased to see his side round off the group stage with another win.
The Thai side finished top of the group with five wins and one defeat.
"We tried our best," said Kiatisuk. "We thought, if we win, okay, but we played for the fans."
Eastern coach Chan Hiu Ming was understandably disappointed after his side capitulated against Hanoi.
The Hong Kong side had given themselves a chance of progressing with an impressive 2-1 win over Chonburi in their last game but were unable to deny Hanoi in their final game in Vietnam.
“I can not believe that we suffered such a heavy loss today,” said Chan. “Things happened differently from what we expected.
“I do not understand why my players did not fight as aggressively as they did in the match against Chonburi.
“Anyway, I have to appreciate Hanoi ACB's performance. They did not give up even when they had no hope.
“They have good young players like Nguyen Xuan Thanh and Thanh Luong. I think they will have a good future if they continue to play like today.”
Hanoi coach Nguyen Cong Vinh praised his players for their performance.
“I am really happy with my players,” he said. “They have given all of their best. They know that it is time to do something for their own reputation.
“My players are not bad and today they showed what they can do with the ball. They showed that they can do everything for a win.
“I hope that this win will help them get back their self-confidence.
“If we can maintain the way we played today, I think the team will get back on track in the domestic league.”
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