KUALA LUMPUR: Does Safawi Rasid's contract say he must play 90 minutes?
That was Kuching City coach Aidil Sharin Sahak's defiant response after his decision to withdraw the playmaker came under scrutiny following their 3-2 Super League defeat to DPMM FC on Sunday.
The visitors looked set for victory after Dylan Wenzel-Halls scored his second goal in the 50th minute to put them 2-1 ahead, but the match turned dramatically after Petrus Shitembi was sent off in the 62nd minute.
DPMM took full advantage of their numerical superiority, with Azwan Ali Rahman equalising two minutes later before Dalberto Luan Belo struck the winner in the 67th minute.
Despite the late collapse, Aidil defended his approach to managing Safawi and the rest of his squad, insisting that players could not be expected to feature for the full 90 minutes in every match.
"Does Safawi's contract say he must play 90 minutes? I mean, this is my plan," he said.
"You have to respect that, because we have 30 players, so everyone needs to play and needs to rest.
"This is something we have to be careful about. Football is a marathon, not a short journey."
It was Kuching's second league defeat of the season, and they now sit third with 12 points.
Meanwhile, Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) continued their dominant start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Terengganu, extending their league tally to 28 goals without conceding.
Bergson da Silva opened the scoring in the 26th minute before Oscar Arribas doubled the lead six minutes before half-time.
Shahab Zahedi completed the win after the break.
Terengganu missed a chance to make the closing stages more interesting when Mateus Gustavo failed to convert a 64th-minute penalty after Kevin David Medina fouled Gervane Kastaneer in the box.
JDT coach Xisco Munoz credited his team's depth, saying substitutes must maintain the same intensity as those who start.
"We don't need only 11 players, we need 20 players," he said.
"And if we have some substitutes coming on, they need to give more than those who played before."
JDT lead the standings with 18 points, while Selangor are second on 15
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