Kaya FC-Iloilo Experiencing Top Flight Football First-Hand Coach Graham Harvey reflects upon Kaya's back-to-back losses to start off the group stage.

Kaya FC-Iloilo’s head coach Graham Harvey had a lot on his mind following Tuesday’s loss to Viettel FC. The first-time Champions League participants have been thoroughly defeated in their first two games, learning the hard way what this level of competition is like.

Group F, otherwise known as the “Den of Champions” is certainly living up to the nickname. Kaya received a 5-0 loss from Vietnamese champions Viettel as a welcoming gift, which pairs perfectly with Thai Champs BG Pathum United’s 4-1 scoreline from a few days prior. Coach Graham’s mood was evident on the sideline, as well as his statements in post-game presser.

“It was not what we were looking for, we’re pretty disappointed with the start of both halves. We can’t give a quality side like Viettel the start we did,” Harvey admitted. “This level of football is a steep learning curve for us. We said when we qualified for the group stage that we’re going to have these experiences and learn from them.”

Kaya went into halftime down two goals in both matches. As disciplined as their defensive formation was, it only took the slightest mistake for this tier of opponent to break the game open and score.

“The mistakes there, particularly in the first half, were probably repetition of what we did against BG as well. We have to make sure that we go in and reflect, and make sure that we actually learn from these experiences.”

The opening goal in the BG game came from a scramble in front of the net, the chance coming from a long ball getting past the backline and a cross from the right side of the box. Similarly, the first goal in the Viettel game—which came just two minutes after kickoff—came from another long pass in behind, followed by a cut back for a clean shot.

“Before the game, we were anticipating that Viettel would come out a lot different from what they did against Ulsan [Hyundai FC],” Coach continued. “We were just poor from the start, to be honest. You can’t give a team like that a 2-0 start. Even in the start of the second half, you can see from the set piece. So quickly after halftime, our plans were up in the air straight away.”

Viettel’s captain Bui Tien Dung scored on a header from a corner in the 49th minute, a devastating blow to the club’s hopes for a comeback. A question was posed in regards to changing tactics to try and limit the damage.

“We’ve come here to try and entertain, but we’ve also come here to learn,” Coach Harvey answered. “We feel as though if we just sit back and don’t try to play our style, then what are we really learning? We are keen to make sure we try as best we can to impose our style on the game.”

“We’re up against Asia’s top clubs, so we have to be respectful and understand what they can do to counter us and try and stop them,” he concluded.

“We have to make sure we go back and reflect on what we’ve done, and try to make sure that we learn and improve on them.”