Sabri earns Rhinos full points
Sabah survived a poor second half as a Sabri Sahar’s brace earned them a crucial 2-1 Premier League win against 10-man MISC-MIFA at the Likas Stadium, last night.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah survived a poor second half as a Sabri Sahar's brace earned them a crucial 2-1 Premier League win against 10-man MISC-MIFA at the Likas Stadium here last night.
Sabri had put Sabah two-nil up in the opening half but MISC-MIFA replied through striker Kpah Sean Sherman early in the second period to set up a nervy finish for the home side.
The Rhinos, looking for their first back-to-back win of the campaign, started brightly by using every angle of the pitch to put their opponents under pressure.
It paid off handsomely as Sabah confidently passed the ball around to find the unmarked Sabri just outside the box.
Sabri unleashed a seemingly harmless long range strike but it took a huge deflection off centreback K. Prememananthan and wrong-footed goalkeeper Zulfadhli Mohamed.
That set Sabah on the way to the three points but not after receiving a scare in the 21st minute, when hesitation at the back allowed striker Bodric Dimitri Tagne Fogueing space to shoot only for the ball to hit the wrong side of the right goalpost.
Sabah were unperturbed as they doubled the lead six minutes later.
From a free kick on the right edge of the box, Sabri curled a dipping shot that beat the diving Zulfadhli.
Striker Rodoljub Paunovic could have added a third for the host three minutes later but with his back against the goal and under pressure from two defenders, he headed into the side netting despite the unguarded net having won the initial header.
The first half ended 2-0 in favour of the Rhinos.
Expectation was high for Sabah to add to their tally when the second half resumed but it was MISC-MIFA who found the back of the net.
The visiting side looked a better side especially after the double substitutions at the start of the half with goalkeeper Ezad Ariff Jamaluddin and Muhamad Shahrul Hakim Rahim coming on for Zuldfadhli and Premananthan respectively.
And it did not take long for them to score when foreign import Sherman had the simplest of task to nod home from close range as he cleverly evaded the attention of his marker Lee Gil Hoon defending a free kick in the 55th minute.
Sabah were a shadow of their good first half display with MISCMIFA looking the likeliest to score every time they entered the final third of the pitch.
However, the visitors' good spell run was halted by the dismissal of Mohd Redzuan Nawi for two yellow card offences in the 76th minute.
That was just what the Rhinos needed to keep the opponents at bay as they struggled to find the consistency that had them controlling the first half.
The chances followed after the sending off but Sabah could not add to their tally and had to be satisfied with the narrow victory.
Sabah, who remain eighth in the 12-team table on 20 points from six wins, two draws and nine defeats, will next face Johor Darul Takzim II here on July 25.