Junior Rhinos extend winning streak
KOTA KINABALU: Mohd Shariman Mukarim’s first-half brace inspired Sabah to a 2-0 win over Selangor in the President Cup Group A tie at MMU Mini Stadium in Cyberjaya yesterday.
The positive outcome extended Sabah’s unbeaten run to four games and more importantly to keep hold of the top placing in the 11-team table.
The Junior Rhinos under head coach Johnny Dominicus went into the game without the suspended Hamran Peter and fellow striker Shariman took up his place.
And Shariman did not disappoint as he repaid the faith with effective display as the squad’s leading striker.
Shariman tested the opposing goalkeeper inside three minutes of play while Stanley Sulong then saw his effort save as Sabah made a strong start to the game.
It did not take long for Sabah to open the scoring on the 24minute when Shariman, after receiving a pass from Mohd Aidil Safee, capped his solo run with a cool finish between the goalkeeper’s legs.
Shariman added the second goal just three minutes later and this time Arius Dius Jais was the provider for the former to shoot from 18-yards and beat the goalkeeper.
Team manager Mohd Yassin Aman was happy with the win, which saw the team exceed their target of four points from two away fixtures.
“We are very happy with the victory and the bonus points. We collected six points from playing in two straight away matches.
“Furthermore, we did not concede any goals in the last two matches and this is a positive thing for the team,” he said after the game.
For the record, Sabah won 1-0 in the first of the away fixtures against Malacca at the Hang Tuah Stadium on Monday.
After a great first half, Yassin said Sabah’s performance suffered a little in the second period after two or three key players were replaced.
But the squad maintained their discipline to protect a two-goal lead to cement the three points.
Sabah remained top of the table on 21 points from seven wins and a defeat, four points ahead of second place Johor Darul Takzim III (JDT III).
Kedah and Kelantan are level on 15 points but the former occupied third place with a superior goal difference while Pahang on 14 points completed the top five.
Meanwhile, Sabah will play six consecutive home games starting from April 9 against Kelantan followed by a topof-the-table clash against JDT III on April 12, which is also the last game in the first round.
The Junior Rhinos will start the second round with another four home fixtures against Kedah on April 19, Pahang (April 23), MISC-MIFA (April 26) and Perlis (April 30).
Things didn’t go my way — Eain Yow