Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dushanbe: FC Istiklol coach Mubin Ergashev has warned his players to avoid complacency as the Tajikistan side prepare to host Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim in the final of the AFC Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides will be appearing in the final for the first time while FC Istiklol will be aiming to win the title just three years after claiming the AFC President’s Cup as they become the first team to win that title to appear in the final of the AFC Cup.
“It’s a very important game tomorrow,” said the coach, whose team will take on the Malaysians at a sold-out Pamir Stadium. “It is very important for the team and the players. We have a great chance to win the AFC Cup at home in front of thousands of fans.
“The fans have helped us so much during the season and the final is an amazing event for them and for Tajik football.”
FC Istiklol have impressed throughout the competition despite this being their debut appearance in the AFC Cup, with the Tajik side defeating reigning champions Qadsia in the group stages.
The Tajik side have already seen off Malaysian opposition in this year’s campaign, having defeated Pahang 5-3 over two legs in the quarter-finals, a win which included a 4-0 victory on home soil.
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“We’ve done a lot of work to reach the final and the players know the importance of the game,” said Ergashev. “If we win, Istiklol will move up one step. But Johor are one of the best teams in the tournament. They have good level foreign players and their domestic players play for the national team.
“Some of Johor’s players can chance the game in any moment, so my players need to be careful for the whole game. We know the strong points of our opponent and I think the match will be interesting and tough.”
FC Istiklol have far exceed expectations to reach the final, but Ergashev does not believe those performances will compensate if his team were not to win against Johor.
“Every team wants to win in the final because you are only one step away from the title,” he said. “Our target is to win the AFC Cup. Our aim was to play well in the tournament and we renewed out target step-by-step. First we won the group stages and then we went through round by round.”
Photo: WSG