Win due to spirited performance
Head coach Jelius A ng a ributed Sabah’s latest Premier League win to the players’ spirited performance on the picth.
KOTA KINABALU: Head coach Jelius Ating attributed Sabah’s latest Premier League win to the players’ spirited performance on the picth.
He said the players worked hard and showed the will to win, which in the end were handsomely paid with a 3-1 against the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) at the Likas Stadium on Saturday.
To cap a good night for the Tambadaus, it was their third successive win that propelled them to second in the 11-team league.
When met after the match, Jelius said it was a performance that he expected to see from the team.
“The players went into the match with the right attitude and characters. The will to win was great and they worked hard without playing into the lowly position of the opponents.
“I can only say this after the performance... we truly deserved the victory tonight (Saturday),” said Jelius.
Sabah started off well against the league bottom team with Brazilian striker Luiz Carlos Junior giving the hosts a fourth minute lead before Rodoljub Paunovic added a second just before half time.
The two foreign imports that combined to perfection for the third goal in the 47th minute with Serbian forward Paunovic providing the assist for Junior to stab the ball into the net beyond the dive of goalkeeper Willfred Anak Jambun.
Redzovic Argzim pulled a goal back for PDRM in the 52nd minute but Sabah stood firm to protect the lead despite PDRM pressing hard in their failed effort to at least save a point.
“The early goal (from Junior) undoubtedly injected much confidence to the team and I’m happy that the players continued to work hard even when we were leading 3-0.
“All the players deserved a pat on the back,” said Jelius while also thanking the Sabah FA management and administration especially acting president Datuk Peter Anthony for ensuring the team is well taken care of.
Jelius also highlighted the around 3,000 fans at the stadium who he said were fantastic in supporting the team throughout the match.
Having said that, Jelius was also quick to note that Sabah must still need to improve if they were to become genuine contenders in the league.
He said one area that needed extra attention was defending set pieces, which is currently the Achilles’ Heel of the team.
“Many of the goals that we conceded were from dead ball situations such as free kicks or corner kicks,” said Jelius fully aware that Sabah have yet to register a clean sheet this season.
Sabah have scored the most goals with 12, which is more than any other teams but on the other hand, they have conceded eight goals too.
“It is important (to score many goals) but it is better to make it difficult for the opponents to score against us especially from set pieces.
“We need to give extra attention to this weakness in the team,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sabah moved to second in the league on 10 points after three wins, one draw and a defeat, trailing Johor Darul Ta’azim II by two points who had also played a game less.
Selangor United are third also on 10 points but Sabah stayed ahead of them with superior goals difference.
The Tambadaus will next face Negeri Sembilan at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium on March 9 before the league take a three-week break.
“We are hoping to get the desired result (against Negeri Sembilan). In fact, it is my hope that we can get as many points before the league take a break so that we will be in a better position when we return to action,” he said.