KUALA NERUS, May 9 2026– Terengganu FC (TFC) interim head coach Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan blamed the absence of two key players for his Turtle squad’s 3-1 loss to Imigresen FC (IFC) in last night’s Super League match at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium.
The Kelantan-born coach said that the absence of Gervane Kastaneer, who is injured, and Ehson Panjshanbe, suspended following a dispute with the referee in the recent match against Kuching City FC, disrupted their game plan.
Although TFC took an early lead with a goal in the sixth minute, Hazman said his players lost focus too easily, conceding three soft goals in the 18th, 31st and 47th minutes.
“This has been a recurring issue over several matches. When we score, we lose the ball and lose concentration. Tonight, I already expected problems because we were without Kastaneer and Ehson, our playmaker and our midfield anchor.
“After the second goal, which came from a penalty, I saw my players lose their way completely… then came the third. In the second half, we fought back and looked more positive, but another problem is we failed to convert our chances and kept making unnecessary mistakes,” he said after last night’s match.
Tengku Hazman admitted he was disappointed with the loss, which leaves TFC at risk of finishing the Super League season in sixth place, meaning they will fail to meet the key performance indicators (KPIs) set by the club’s management.
Meanwhile, IFC head coach Yusri Che Lah said he did not expect to walk away with three valuable points from Terengganu soil.
He said credit must go to his players, who delivered their best performance with full discipline.
“I didn’t expect the win because I know how strong Terengganu are. Getting three points was never in my dictionary. I understand how difficult it is to play against a team of their strength, especially the chemistry between their local players.
“I’m very happy, but also quite surprised by the performance they showed. They didn’t play as they did in their recent matches against the giants, Selangor FC and Johor Darul Takzim,” he said.
— BERNAMA
