‘0-4 against Incheon’ Coach Kaya admires “Incheon has so many good players”

FC Iloilo (Philippines) head coach Callum Curtis Kaya recognized the quality of his Incheon United squad.

Kaya fell to Incheon United 0-4 in the second leg of their 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL) Group G match at the Incheon Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Kaya, who had previously lost to Shandong Taishan (China) in the first leg, suffered their second consecutive ACL defeat and remain bottom of the group.

After the game, Coach Curtis said, “We had some idea of what to expect going into this game. I expected Incheon to come out more aggressive than usual. I know they have a big game coming up on the weekend, but they came out with a very strong lineup. “We made a tactical change in the second half, and it led to a better performance,” he concluded.

It was an evenly matched game. Incheon opened the scoring six minutes into the game with a goal from Mugosa and went on a three-goal run in the first half to take a commanding lead. Kaya struggled to create much of an offense, while Incheon drove a wedge into the game in the 29th minute when Mpoku scored from a free kick.토토사이트

After shaking his head again at the ACL, Curtis said, “The first thing to talk about is the change in the quality of the domestic league in the Philippines. We’re a strong team in the league, but we’re an underdog in the ACL. When our players play in the tournament, they struggle with the tempo and physicality of the game. I think we need to improve the Philippine Football Association, which is an inherent problem.”

Incheon relentlessly attacked the flanks against Kaya. They had a lot of fun with crosses. When asked if there were any players who impressed him, Curtis said, “There were a lot,” and gave a thumbs up, saying, “I was surprised by their strength and tactical level, especially with their numerical advantage on the flanks, which caused confusion and difficulty for our defense.”

Playing Incheon at home. “I think we can play better at home,” Curtis said. There will be no travel fatigue, no pressure, and the players will be in better shape. We are really looking forward to playing Incheon at home as they are a strong team.”