
Goalkeeper Anthony Pinthus was glad to have repaid the trust and confidence of his United City teammates and coaches with a solid performance in a 2-0 loss to Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League.
Pinthus had been maligned by fans since the start of the group stage, especially after conceding a total of 15 goals in losses to South Korean side Daegu (7-0) and in the first meeting with Kawasaki (8-0).
But the Golden Glove winner during United City’s run to the Philippines Football League crown last season was able to make a solid showing that kept the Filipino club’s hopes of salvaging a point for most of the match.
Kawasaki, which took the lead in the 19th minute on a Kei Chinen's goal, struck the insurance goal through Tatsuya Hasegawa in 76th minute of their Group I match in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
“It was not easy for me, for the whole team,” Pinthus said during the post-match press conference. “We conceded plenty of goals and we knew we could learn from them. The whole team and most of all of the coaches all believed in me.
“They stuck with me, they are like a family and they also give me confidence and I’m happy that I was able to contribute,” added the national team goalkeeper during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
United City coach Jason Withe praised Pinthus for being able to hold his ground despite his struggles through the continental campaign.
“His confidence took a bit of a battering in the last two games, he did not show that out there today. He is a good goalkeeper,” said Withe.
Withe also cited the task Pinthus had to deal with after playing his last competitive match in early-November during the PFL season.
“The opposition is halfway into their league preparation while this boy’s coming into this tournament not playing a competitive game in eight months.
“So it’s easy to knock somebody when he’d let 7-8 goals in, but give credit to him. To not play football for eight months is a big ask so we’ll done,” added Withe before extending a handshake to Pinthus during the same press conference.