Victory at last
Prince Nnake brace helps Rhinos sink KL MOF FC
Sabah Rhinos registered their first win of the 2016 Malaysian League campaign by overcoming KL MOF FC 3-0 in the FA Cup second round e at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu last night.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Rhinos registered their f irst win of the 2016 Malaysian League campaign by overcoming KL MOF FC 3-0 in the FA Cup second round tie at the Likas Stadium here last night.
Prince Tochukwu Nnake grabbed a brace and Maxius Musa added a third to seal Sabah passage into the third round of the knock-out competition.
More importantly, the victory has certainly lifted the mood among the squad as well as the fans.
Playing in their f irst home game of the season, Sabah were determined to create a positive outcome especially after their consecutive 1-4 defeats in the Premier League.
And the home fans did not have to wait long for the opening goal after MOF's goalkeeper Razi Affendi Suhiti made a mess of an attempted clearance after f ive minutes of play.
Nnake was at the right place and time when the ball bounced off him and went straight into the unguarded net to send the around 3,000 fans into a frenzy.
MOF had a chance to level the tie in the 20th minute but Rozaimie Rohim, who started ahead of first choice goalkeeper Mohd Fadzley Abd Rahim, was alert to divert Rudie Ramli's shot for a fruitless corner.
The Rhinos were in control for much of the first hal f and was unlucky not to add a second in the 42nd minute when Leopold Alfonso blasted high over the bar from close range after a clever cutback from Nnake.
Leopold, who assumed the role of injured Brazi l ian playmaker Marco Tulio, made amends with two important assists in the second half.
The stocky striker's saw his effort dropped just in front of goal that Nnake needed only a slight touch to make it 2-0 just after the break.
Leopold than rattled the crossbar with a curling effort shortly after.
The Rhinos continued to dominate the opponents and Leopold was at the centre of everything positive for the home side again when his reverse pass released Maxius who had a clear run at goal.
Maxius left two defenders in his wake before rounding Razi to complete the scoring on the night.