Balestier Khalsa players lifting
the Singapore League Cup trophy
after beating DPMM FC 4-0 in the
final last night at the Jalan
Besar Stadium in Singapore. DPMM
FC coach Vjeran Simunic said
that silver was a fair result
for the team considering that
they are still struggling with
injuries and import problems.
Picture: BT/ Jason Thomas
Defeated and a little dejected, Vjeran Simunic had no excuses for last night's loss to Balestier Khalsa FC in the Singapore League Cup.
A 4-0 defeat to the Tigers was a result not many would have predicted before the clash, the result hardly what one would expect in a final especially with defending champions DPMM FC gunning for their third League Cup title.
Blaming the loss on inexperience, DPMM FC coach Simunic felt that finishing second was a fair result considering the injuries and import problems the team has suffered this season.
"Once you give Balestier a 2-0 lead, even Real Madrid cannot comeback," he said.
"Being realistic, silver is alright for our current team.
"Balestier are an older team compared to us, have more experience and deserve to win something this season...
"This should be a lesson for us," he said.
"If our team is under shock, we find it hard to recover and that's because of inexperience. We have a lot of talented young players in our team but we need time.
"I'm happy for Darren (Balestier coach Darren Stewart) and he deserves this," added the Croatian.
His counterpart, though, didn't want any praise coming his way.
"I don't want any of the headlines boys. It's not about me... I just watch the game," the Australian told a packed press conference.
"For me, it's not about the glory. This win is for Theva (club vice-chairman S Thavaneson), who has helped me a lot over the 20 years I've known him, and the boys.
"I didn't expect this (scoreline) but looking back at it now, it could have been more."
