Pan Gon hails 'Selangor DNA' after Moraes treble, but fumes over pitch

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor coach Kim Pan Gon praised his charges for rediscovering their fighting "DNA" after Brazilian forward Chrigor Moraes netted a hat-trick in their 4-1 rout of Star City, but pulled no punches over the poor pitch conditions at the Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium.

The Red Giants produced a comeback in Kangar on Saturday to take a commanding three-goal advantage into the FA Cup quarter-final second leg at the MBPJ Stadium on Oct 10.

While delighted with his side's grit, Pan Gon stressed that the substandard playing surface posed a threat to player safety and contributed to Star City's opening goal after a Selangor player twisted his ankle on the uneven turf.

"The pitch condition was very, very disappointing," Pan Gon said.

"We cannot put our players in this kind of circumstance. We need to protect our players and protect the game. Our player twisted from nothing, just because of the surface, leaving us with fewer men on the pitch when we conceded.

"Anyhow, our players overcame all the difficult circumstances, an away game, the pitch condition, and high pressure. We want to get back our real Selangor DNA: mentally and physically strong, with a winning habit where we never give up."

Star City took the lead through Moses Atede in the 18th minute, but Moraes levelled three minutes later before Vitor Pernambuco put Selangor ahead in the 43rd.

Moraes completed his hat-trick with goals in the 61st and 87th minutes.

Despite holding a 4-1 advantage, Pan Gon warned his players against complacency ahead of the return clash.

"We will not be overconfident and we will not lose our concentration," he said.

"We will use this break period to review our performance, correct mistakes, and come back even stronger."

For Star City coach Mehmet Durakovic, the match slipped away after a spirited first-half display, with the former Selangor boss admitting that Pan Gon's squad proved to be a "different class" as fatigue and injuries caught up with his depleted team.

"We played really, really well in the first half and scored a good goal... but Selangor punished the chances they got," Durakovic said.

"We missed four key players, Endrick dos Santos, Pedro Santos, Rizal Ghazali, and Engku Shakir Engku Yacob.

"If you don't have a big squad, it's not easy to play so many games in so many days. In the second half, we were just tired.

"I tried to give the young boys a chance, but the quality of Selangor is different class. Still, my players gave 100 per cent and I cannot complain."