Tekson saves junior Rhinos from defeat
KOTA KINABALU: Goalkeeper Tekson Tubeng’s fantastic late save prevented Sabah from defeat in their President Cup tie at the Likas Stadium here yesterday.
The Group B fixtures saw the junior Rhinos force a scoreless draw against the quarter-finalchasing PBDKT/T-Team.
And Sabah had Tekson to thank for the point.
Rarely troubled throughout the game, Tekson was alert when called into action as he stopped a curling 25m free-kick that seemed destine for the top left corner, showing two strong hands as he dived to his right to divert the ball for a fruitless corner.
The brilliant save by Tekson was crucial especially when Sabah continued to misfire at the other end of the pitch.
While looking disorganised at times, the junior Rhinos did create the best chances, including twice inside five minutes of play but went begging.
Mohd Zaki Sapri saw his powerful shot rattled the crossbar while Devid Ansarui blasted over the bar from point blank range.
In the second half, right winger Stanley Sulong also skied his shot from the edge of the six-yard box before Tekson came to his teammates’ rescue with the diving save late on.
The scoreless outcome saw Sabah registered their third straight draw in the league but they remained ninth on 11 points (two wins, five draws, eight losses) in the 10-team table.
T-Team, on the other hand, suffered a huge blow to their quarter-finals hopes as they dropped out of the top four and replaced by PKNP FC after their 4-3 win over PKNS FC.
Other results in Group B saw leaders Negeri Sembilan beat the Armed Forces 1-0, Perak lost to Selangor 1-2 and Pahang defeated Kuala Lumpur 2-0.
For the record, only the top four in Group A and B will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Sabah will be away to Negeri Sembilan when they resume their fixtures on July 10.