Rhinos, Penang share points with goalless draw
KOTA KINABALU: A wasteful Sabah were left dejected as Penang held on for a goalless draw in their Premier League clash at the Likas Stadium last night.
The stalemate saw Sabah's slim hope of Super League promotion slipping away with two games to play.
Sabah went into the match hoping to build on their 2-1 win away to Terengganu FC II but to no avail.
And the Rhinos could only blame themselves for not creating a healthy advantage with the various scoring opportunities in the opening half.
Maxsius Musa's close range effort just missed the target on 19 minutes while Hector Ramos could not reach the ball in time for a tap in shortly after.
Young striker Hamran Peter was next to try his luck but after a lay-off from Rodoljub Paunovic, the former sent his shot well over the bar.
Paunovic then came close to scoring but twice goalkeeper Amirul Asyraf Mohd Suhaidi was in his element to thwart the efforts.
Penang nearly punished Sabah for their profligacy in the 41st minute when Chidi Edeh's shot rattled the crossbar after having his initial shot blocked by goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim.
Sanna Nyassi's follow-up shot from Edeh's second effort went straight to Rozaimie.
Penang started the second half with attacking intent and Nyassi twice came close to scoring from a promising position.
The Rhinos' best effort came in the 64th minute when Maxsius raced onto a Hamran's through pass and his shot with the outside of his boot forced Amirul into an acrobatic save.
The action quickly swung to the other end of the pitch but Mohd Fitri Shazwan Raduwan, who was unmarked at the far edge of the box, wasted a glorious chance when he shot wide with only Rozaimie to beat.
There was little action late on to force the team to share points, with Sabah moving to 25 points from six wins, seven draws and five losses.
The Rhinos will next face high-flying Felcra FC at the Likas Stadium on July 22.