Winners never quit: Maruful

“Winners never quit and quitters never win, that’s what I always tell my players and that’s what they proved today,” Chattogram Abahani coach Maruful Haque told reporters after his side fought back twice to beat Gokulam Kerala 3-2 in the first semifinal of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup yesterday.

The veteran coach said he always had the belief that his players could salvage a precarious situation and that his substitutions would pay back his faith.

“We analysed our opposition and saw that they play with three defenders, with a substantial gap left when the two wing-backs join the attack. So I told [Kawsar Ali] Rabbi and Sohel [Rana] to exploit that gap. And it worked,” added the veteran coach.

Sohel and Rabbi, coming on as second-half substitutes, set up the two goals that initially kept the hosts alive and then sealed their final berth.

The coach also praised two-goal hero Jean Charles Didier, who scored the equalisers for the home side as Gokulam Kerala had twice took the ascendancy.

“When I saw video footages of Didier, I knew he was a very valuable player. He has played in Israel and in France, so he has the experience,” Maruful added.

The Ivorian was one of the less talked about players of the team, with skipper Jamal Bhuiyan and strikers Chinedu Matthew and Luka Rotkovic hogging the limelight. But on a day when Rotkovic looked out of sorts and Jamal not his supreme best, Didier stepped up.

“I thank the supporters for turning up and supporting us. We are very happy to be in the final,” said the soft-spoken Ivorian.