PETALING JAYA: Selangor got the result they wanted but it was not the performance their coach expected.

The Red Giants beat Malaysian Universities 3-1 in the FA Cup round of 16 first leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium yesterday, but coach Katsuhito Kinoshi cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle.

“I’m happy with the win, but we need to make huge improvements if we want to progress,” said the Japanese.

“The goal we conceded was unnecessary. We had a plan, but sometimes following the plan is tough.”

Kinoshi even shouldered part of the blame after centreback M. Moses Raj’s lapse allowed the visitors a late consolation.

“It could have been my decision not to take him off earlier. But this is football – the target is to learn from mistakes as we progress.”

Selangor looked slick in the first half and were cruising at the break. Faisal Halim opened the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing off a low cross from Alif Izwan Yuslan.

Cape Verde winger Alvin Fortes doubled the lead in the 24th minute after latching onto a neat pass from Afghanistan international Omid Musawi.

Faisal then struck again just before half-time, coolly slotting home after a clever assist from Jordanian midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh.

But after the restart, Selangor were in shambles. They dominated possession yet struggled to penetrate a disciplined Universities defence.

The underdogs then had their moment in the 84th minute when winger Aiman Daniel capitalised on Raj’s mistake, dispossessing him on the right flank before firing past goalkeeper Samuel Somerville with a composed left-footed finish.

For Universities coach Yazli Yahya, that goal was a proud moment for his young squad.

“My players showed character after the first half. I told them football is 90 minutes, anything can happen. Most of them are new, but this is part of the learning process,” said Yazli.

Selangor may carry a two-goal advantage into the return leg, but Kinoshi’s message was clear – results alone won’t be enough if the Red Giants want to chase silverware this season.