Park: Coach Eddy's brave and smart tactic change saves Cops
PETALING JAYA: South Korean midfielder Park Tae-su has hailed Police coach Eddy Gapil for making timely tactical changes that sparked their comeback against Brunei in their Super League match.
But admitted he was disappointed not to walk away with three points after ending up 2-2 at the Selayang Stadium on Saturday.
Brunei, returning to the competition after 16 years, made a dream start under coach Jamie McAllister when their Indonesian striker Ramadhan Sananta hogged the limelight.
He struck in the third minute before setting up Portuguese playmaker Miguel Oliveira just three minutes later to put the visitors 2-0 up.
But Police, buoyed by Gapil's swift adjustments, roared back in the second half through Tae-su's heroics, who netted in the 68th and 72nd minute to draw level.
'When we were trailing 0-2, the coach made a quick tactical change at just the right time. It had a big impact in the second half, and we managed to score two goals,' said the 35-year-old, who joined the Cops from Sabah this season.
'I want to praise the coach for being brave and smart in making that decision.
'Starting the season with two goals feels good, but I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get the three points.
'I also had other chances to change the result but couldn't take them.
Tae-su also stressed the importance of cutting out early mistakes if Police were to match the league's stronger sides.
The Klang Valley-based side will travel to the east coast to take on Terengganu at the Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak on Aug 13.
'Terengganu are a strong team, but that doesn't mean we're weak. In that first game, we made some early mistakes that made things hard.
'The coach told us to stay focused and organised, but maybe we lacked a bit there. If we fix that, I'm confident we'll do well.
Police's spirited fightback not only showed resilience but sent an early message that they would not be easy to beat this season.
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