Sabah punished by some silly mistakes — Billyton
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s quest for getting off on a high note failed to materialise after Group B rivals Perak defeated them 4-3 in the Youth Cup League match at the Penampang Stadium on Wednesday.
The state football under-19 squad were eyeing their third win from this opening tie of the season’s second round.
Aside from giving their best efforts and backed by home crowd support, Sabah also had the booster from a 1-0 victory over Pahang in their previous game.
They did everything to try and start the round with victory but it was still not enough to overcome their opponents who are from the opposite end of the standings.
Despite disappointment, head coach Billyton Vun Kit Ming still managed to take some positives from the match.
Admittedly, Billy said some silly mistakes resulted in the team being punished.
He cited fatigue and a hectic schedule as the culprit for poor decision-making by some of the players.
“We made some silly mistakes and we got a negative result for it. The game was good for us overall, but there were mistakes and we got punished,” he said.
“Fatigue from a tight schedule also played a factor to our performance. Sometimes we spend 17-18 hours of being two days on the road.
“This takes a toll on players’ ability to think on their feet and make quick decisions. It is a big problem when players do not get enough rest,” Billy added.
In the late afternoon match on Wednesday, Perak drew first blood with skipper Akmal Hazim Ismail netting in the 14th minute. The visitors then doubled their lead four minutes later through Luqman Hakim Ishak.
Luqman ultimately went on to score a hat-trick, netting one from the spot just before the break and another on the hour mark to seal Perak’s victory.
Sabah also had a hat-trick player in Mohd Nasip Mohamad Zain. The midfielder made his first strike in the 39th minute before scoring again in the 53rd minute. A penalty in the 74th minute helped to complete his hat-trick of goals.
The defeat meant Sabah remained second off the bottom in the 11-team standings on nine points from 11 matches.
They continue their league challenge with an away match to Selangor on June 19, after the season’s break for Ramadan and Hari Raya Festivities. - AJ