Felda repel blunted Rhinos
Sabah were denied victory by a blunt strike force in the Premier League match against Felda United FC at the Tun Abduk Razak Stadium in Maran, Pahang on Thursday night.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah were denied victory by a blunt strike force in the Premier League match against Felda United FC at the Tun Abduk Razak Stadium in Maran, Pahang on Thursday night.
Head coach Jelius Ating said another factor to the team’s 10 defeat was a lack of foreign imports.
“Granted we only had two foreign imports during the match but that was not the main reason why we could not win,” he said.
Jelius noted that the squad did well to create good chances but were let down by a blunt strike force led by Hector Omar Ramos Lebron and Rahman Shah Marajeh.
“It was a difficult game because we were short on imports but we also wasted lots of chances. We created many opportunities to score, but we could not convert them,” he said.
“In the end, it was the opponent that managed to capitalise with just one good chance, it was disappointing.
“We needed to win to maintain competitiveness. We need to bounce back,” Jelius added.
The defeat saw Sabah remain at fifth in the standings as more points slipped through their grasp for any hope of promotion into the Super League next season.
Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor emerged as the hero for the homesters as his solitary goal helped to strengthen Felda’s position at the top of the table.
Sabah made a fierce start as Maxsius Musa ploughed through to give Felda the jitters. Hector Ramos put him through into the box but Farizal Harun kept his cool to deny Maxsius in a one-onone situation in front of goal.
Felda reacted swiftly with a seventh minute solo effort by Thiago Augusto Fernandes but the shot from inside the box went wide.
Later, Sabah continued to cause problems in the 35th minute but Farizal was quick to deny Sabah any glory. This time, it was Hector’s header from a cross by Rahman Shah that was tipped over for a fruitless corner.
It wasn’t until the final seconds of the first half that Felda finally broke through. Wan Zack did not disappoint after Francis Kasonde brought down Thiago Augusto just outside the area.
Sabah came back strongly in the second half, launching an attack that nearly stemmed the tide in the 63rd minute.
A corner from Sabri Sahar found its way to Kasonde’s feet but Farizal stayed alert to once again deny the visitors glory.
According to Jelius, Sabah created at least a few more chances but their blunt strike force prevented them from changing the scoreline.
Meanwhile, Jelius hoped that the two vacant slots left behind by Lee Gil Hoon and Heo Jaenyong would be filled soon.
The two Korean imports parted ways with Sabah following a decision by the FA not to renew their contracts which expired on May 17.
“I hope we can get at least one new import before the next game (against UKM FC on June 2). But we are aware of the situation now in SAFA following a change in the state government.
“A lot of things need to be taken into account when import players are included in the financial aspect, so the leadership transition must be resolved first before further action can be taken,” he said.