Coach Jelius: Sabah fail to play to their true strength

PETALING JAYA: Sabah coach Jelius Ating admitted that his players were out of character as their Malaysia Cup dreams lie in tatters.

The Rhinos were whipped 0-5 by Perak in the first leg of the semi-final at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh on Sunday and they must do what no team have ever done in the Malaysia Cup before to reach the final – overturn a five-goal deficit in the second leg at the Likas Stadium on Oct 21.

“We lost by a big margin not because Perak were very good but due to our players not having the character to deal with such a big occasion,” said Sabah coach Jelius Ating after the match.

“I am very disappointed with the players’ performance because it did not show our true standard.

“We have done well in this Malaysia Cup by beating Super League sides Pahang, Selangor and PKNP before.”

Jelius added that their dismal performance could also be attributed to unpaid wages.

“It may also have to do with the salary arrears. I tried to motivate the team but it’s a tough situation to be in.

“I should still give praise to the players for coming this far despite the problems they are facing.”

Roared on by a packed home crowd at the Perak Stadium, Mehmet Durakovic’s men dominated play and put the pressure on Sabah early on to wrap up the tie with goals from Nor Hakim Hassan (17th minute), Wander Luiz (42nd), Gilmar Filho (73rd), Firdaus Saiyadi (76th) and Leandro dos Santos’ spotkick (90th+3).

Perak, who last won the Malaysia Cup 18 years ago, are virtually through to the final with the over- whelming win.

Jelius conceded that they have an impossible mission in their hands to overturn the aggregate but he is hoping for a win in the return leg at home.

“We have two weeks to prepare for the next match and honestly, it will not be easy.

“We need five goals to draw level and six to win. That’s going to be very difficult.

“Even if we don’t reach the final, we want to at least win the second leg. That is important for our pride,” he said.