Photo: Doc. Persib Bandung
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Tanjong Pagar was brought to his knees by Persib in the trial match which was held on Sunday (5/6) afternoon. Located at the Gelora Citra Mas Stadium, Batam, the Singaporean club lost 1-6. One goal from Khairul Nizam was not enough to match the sharpness of Ciro Alves and colleagues.
Noh Alam Shah as manager of Tanjong Pagar also admitted his team’s defeat. According to him Persib did perform better in this match and six goals could be produced. He hopes this result will be a whip for his team to improve before acting again in the Singapore Premier League.
“Yes, today’s result is of a different quality level. This is our first time playing abroad after covid and indeed we have Persib level quality far from us. But we will fix it so that in the future we can concentrate on the league,” he said when attending a press conference after the match.
Indeed, throughout the match Tanjong Pagar was more busy defending and resisting attacks from opponents. However, according to the man who is familiarly called Along, it is good for his team to meet a team that can teach lessons. Moreover, the hectic atmosphere of the stadium added to the adrenaline of the troops.
“Every time we get a beautiful opponent like Persib this is a bonus for the players. Especially with the Vikings and Bobotoh supporters, it’s like a real league. We are very grateful to Persib and Viking Batam,” said the former Singapore national team bomber.
Noh Alam Shah himself was part of Persib for half a season. He joined in the middle of the 2011/2012 season and became a duet for Marcio Souza in the front sector. The 41-year-old man also gave a message to Persib and hoped that Maung Bandung would become the champion again.
“My advice is to remember that we play this to make the people who come for us happy, with that we are sincere on the pitch. We remember that people came (supported) us to see us play. Hopefully Persib will win and stay healthy until the end of the season,” he said.
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