Jelius awed by Rhinos’ fighting spirit
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Jelius Ating heaped praises on his players for their never-saydie attitude in their 2-1 comeback win over Selangor at the Likas Stadium here on Saturday.
The victory, which put Sabah on track in their quarter-final quest, was hard-earned with Selangor giving their all as they looked to keep their quarter-final hope alive in Group D of the Malaysia Cup.
The Rhinos, however, displayed great fighting spirit and steely determination to keep the opponents at bay and even when they were a goal down with 11minute to play, they showed no signs of giving up.
“The players showed yet again that they were not ready to give up until the final whistle was blown,” said Jelius after the match.
Selangor, who have long been Sabah’s nemesis in the competition, were rewarded for their all-out efforts on the night when they took the lead through Sean Eugene Selvaraj in the 79th minute.
Sabah had other ideas though, as last week’s match winner Rahman Shah Marajeh made an immediate impact shortly after coming on for Hamran Peter, blasting the ball home from inside the box in the 82nd minute.
The equaliser set a dramatic finish to the game and Ricco Nigel Milus, on for Sabri Sahar in the 89th minute, arrowed a long-range shot into the top corner to win the game for Sabah in the first minute of injury time.
“It was a sweet victory for us against a team that is synonymous to the Malaysia Cup competition.
“They (Selangor) played a good game, but we answered everything that they threw at us in the match,” added Jelius, who along with assistant coach Burhan Ajui, was at the losing end of the Malaysia Cup finals against Selangor in 1996 and 2002.
Having said that, Jelius was quick to remind his players not to get carried away as they have only reached the halfway stage of the group stages.
He said Sabah, who are unbeaten in the opening three matches, still need to work hard to improve further.
“Overall, I’m happy with the team’s performance so far in the group stage, including in the 1-1 draw against Pahang.
“But there is certainly room for improvement, for example in midfield. We gave them too much space that enabled them to hold onto possession in the middle of the park.
“We must put in more quality to improve in the (midfield) area,” he said.
Meanwhile, the second successive win in the group allowed Sabah to retain their second placing in Group D, levelled on seven points with leaders Pahang.
PKNP FC, who lost to Pahang 01, are third on three points while Selangor, who were the most successful team in the Malaysia Cup, are eyeing an early exit after a third straight loss.
The outcome in front of around 5,000 fans at the Likas Stadium put Sabah on track in their quest to make it into the quarter-finals of the competition.
In fact, the Rhinos could secure their quarter-final place as early as in their next game, provided they beat Selangor and if Pahang also claimed victory against PKNP FC.
Sabah will kick off the second round of the Group D fixtures away to Selangor at the Shah Alam Stadium on August 28.