Lautoka Coach Anginesh Prasad revealed the side overcame fitness challenge to advance into the semifinals despite being held 3-3 by Tailevu Naitasiri in their last Group A match of the 2023 Courts Inter District Championship (IDC) at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva today.
Prasad said fatigue was the biggest drawback for the side but the Blues will utilise tomorrow’s rest day to recover ahead of the semifinal on Saturday.
“The performance was not what we expected. Our aim was to reach the semifinal which we have achieved. The boys have been playing a lot of football throughout the year and we knew that fatigue will be an issue.”
“The players were supposed to manage their fatigue and after taking the 2-0 lead, Tailevu Naitasiri came back which was a small drawback for us.”
“We took the lead although they caught us again but we defended till the last minute to qualify for the semi’s. We have to also assess the injuries in the team. The full team should be available come Saturday.”
“There will be video analysis done for all the games we have played. We have a rest day tomorrow and we will see where we have to focus more.”
Meanwhile, Prasad also acknowledged the efforts of Tailevu Naitasiri players for displaying a strong performance and not letting their guard down throughout the match.
“Hats off to the coach and management and the players for giving their best shot and playing their hearts out.”
“This is what football is about, although the team lost two matches, yet they counted us and kept us at bay throughout the game.”
