By Lester J. Bingkasan
Sabah U-19 make victorious comeback
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah under-19 squad were 3-0 victorious on their return to Youth Cup action at the Penampang Stadium yesterday.
The squad dominated Group A rivals Pahang for much of the game and were rewarded with goals from captain Mohd Syukri Baharun, Mohd Faqrul Idris and Mohamad Shahrizan Saidin.
They had stepped up the pace right from kick off and created numerous chances that went begging while Pahang occasionally threathened in the opening half.
Sabah’s positive display were finally rewarded in the first half stoppage time when the lively Leanardo Lisua won a penalty kick after a foul by Pahang goalkeeper Muhammad Amirul Hafiz Basri.
Midfield general Syukri made no mistake from the spot by sending Amirul the wrong way for the opening goal.
There was no stopping Sabah after they resumed the second half where they only needed five minutes to increase the lead.
Faqrul rose majestically to head home from close range following Syukri’s perfectly weighted corner kick.
Sabah under-19 head coach Mohd Aiyyman Shah Johnny Abdullah continued to boss their opponents who were pegged back in their own half.
The third goal arrived at the 74th minute and was even achieved in style.
Shahrizan, who replaced Leonardo on the hour mark, slalomed his way past three defenders before unleashing a ferocious left-footed shot to effectively cement the three points for Sabah.
The homesters could have added more goals late in the game were it not for some smart saves from Amirul while another was cleared off the line.
With the victory, Sabah moved to 22 points from six wins, four draws and three losses.
More importantly, the three points won ensured that Sabah would remain among the top four teams in the 10-team table and enhanced their quarter-final hopes with five matches left to play.
The state juniors will host the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) Under-16 squad next in a rescheduled match on July 8.