Aquinaldo strike pushes Sabah back
A 1-0 victory is as good as any and Sabah Tambadau thanked their lucky stars for the slim margin win against Premier League rivals UKM FC at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Cheras on Friday night.
KOTA KINABALU: A 1-0 victory is as good as any and Sabah Tambadau thanked their lucky stars for the slim margin win against Premier League rivals UKM FC at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Cheras on Friday night.
Whether a big win or a small victory, team manager Henry Saimpon said it was all the same to him.
“We still managed to get the three points and that is all that matters, even if it was just one-nil. The important thing is that we got the points because it (the match) wasn't easy…they (UKM FC) played very well,” he said when contacted, yesterday.
The solitary goal came from Aguinaldo Mendes Veiga in the 49th minute.
The Angolan striker could not have asked for a better debut when he whipped the ball into the top right corner with a half-volley from inside the box.
Foreign import midfielder, Ahmet Atayev from Turkmenistan also made his debut for Sabah that night.
The two were roped in recently as new arsenals and fortunately for the team and the fans their performances did not disappoint.
Earlier Sabah had to thwart a penalty shot after Evan Wensley tugged the shirt of a UKM player inside the danger area. Sabah players protested at the referee's decision to point at the spot but to no avail despite only light contact between Evan and the other player.
Fortunately, keeper Rozaimie Rohim lived up to his billing as Sabah's main custodian. He threw himself in the right direction to prevent the home side from taking an early lead.
Meanwhile, Henry was pleased with the performances by his two new players.
“It was their first game and I am happy with their commitment. I believe they have more to offer to the team and I am excited to see them do that in the next match,” he said.
Henry also gave credit to the other players for their effort to win the points.
“Congratulations to all them. They worked hard to give us this victory…and it wasn't an easy one. They (UKM FC) played very well, we got ourselves out from being put on the spot and the floodlights incident did not help much at all.
“It took almost an hour for stadium officials to bring them back on. Fortunately, despite all the challenges and delay, we still managed to come out as winners,” he said.
The match which kicked off at 10pm (Ramadan schedule) was stopped in the 37th minute after a system failure plunged the stadium into darkness. The delay prolonged the match to last longer than usual and it was not until an hour after midnight that the final whistle was blown.
“It was a tough match and a long night and we were lucky to be able to come out on top. And our midfielder, Mohd Azizan Nordin got the title ‘Man of the Match', which was a bonus,” Henry said.
The win lifted Sabah Tambadau back to second spot, at least until late tonight as several matches are scheduled this evening. Sabah are currently on 24 points from seven wins, three draws and two defeats.
However, their position in the standings could change depending on result between nearest rivals UiTM FC (23 points) who face Sarawak tonight. Also in action are leaders JDT II (25 points). They face Penang, while another match will see Negeri Sembilan take on Kelantan.
Sabah Tambadau have another away game against Penang on May 25. After that they will host Negeri Sembilan at the Likas Stadium on June 15.