Rewa Coach Roderick Singh has thanked his players for putting up a gallant performance in the final of the 2023 Digicel Fiji FACT despite going down 2-1 to a star-studded Lautoka outfit at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on Sunday.
Singh said playing 125 minutes of football in span of 24 hours was not easy but his players continued the uphill battle against the Blues till the final whistle.
“Not the outcome we wanted but the game was good.”
“The boys really pushed forward despite playing 125 minutes in the semifinal and again 120 minutes today. The body caught up but the boys never gave up and I thank the boys for the gallant effort.”
“I told the boys to continue playing and do what they can do while the goal will come, even if it’s a fast win, we’ll win.”
“The boys did their best and there are no complaints about the boys.”
Singh added that lack of concentration in their defence opened up space for Lautoka to snatch the winner.
“Just one moment of slack down and Lautoka scored otherwise we were in the final for the whole 120 minutes.”
“We lost the ball in the transition and then we considered a quick player counterattack attack from Lautoka and they scored.”
However, he has also assured the fans that the Delta Tigers will make a strong comeback upon the resumption of the Digicel Fiji Premier League in two weeks’ time.
“It’s the first loss and I’m glad it did not come in a bad way; it came in a good way. We lost but we lost fighting like a tiger.”
“For me, it’s not about winning or losing but coming back better and stronger. It’s a game of football and emotions do creep in finals such as this one.”
“My boys deserved to win but we couldn’t so we’ll come back soon.”
