S’gor trip depleted Junior Rhinos
The Sabah Under-21 squad suffered a rare defeat as Selangor claimed a 2-0 win in the President Cup Group A e at the Likas Stadium yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Under-21 squad suffered a rare defeat as Selangor claimed a 2-0 win in the President Cup Group A tie at the Likas Stadium yesterday.
Current leaders Sabah, who have already secured the quarter-final berth, went into the match a depleted side with three key defenders missing through suspension and injuries.
Captain Muhammad Zaki Sapri was injured while both Kelvin Pengiran and Ranilson Batuil had been suspended.
The trio were badly missed as Selangor went in front through a goal from Sharul Nazeem Zulpakar in the 20th minute.
The Junior Rhinos tried to fight back but instead, Selangor were the side who found the back of the net when Saiful Iskandar Adha Saiful Azlan doubled the tally in the 76th minute.
Despite the defeat, Sabah remained on top of the 11-team Group A on 40 points since nearest rivals Kedah could only manage a 1-1 draw against lowly Perlis in the other match yesterday.
Kedah were on 39 points while Johor Darul Takzim III (JDT III) were third on 37 points, followed by Kelantan at fourth on 35 points. All three teams will also be joining Sabah in the next round of competition.
Meanwhile, the Johnny Dominicus-coach Junior Rhinos will conclude their group challenge with back-to-back away fixtures against Kelantan on July 26 and JDT III on July 30.