KOTA KINABALU: Englishman Jamie Anthony Lawrence Phoenix guided the Rhinos to a 2-0 victory over Persiba in the opener of the Sabah FA Triangular Tournament at the Tawau Sports Complex on Sunday.
The former England Under-17 player scored a brace, netting one goal in each half before being replaced late in the game to receive five stitches on his ear after a clash with a Persiba player.
Jamie drew first blood with his 41st minute strike before adding his second in the 65th minute.
Rahman Zakaria said that it was quite a convincing show from the Rhinos throughout the match.
“I’m happy with the way we approached the game,” the Rhinos’ team manager commented.
“The team seemed to be getting better. Our momentum was also there and the same for the combination among the players.
“Nevertheless, overall, we still need to improve on certain aspects of the game.
“I’m delighted to see that we managed to create a lot of chances. Although we only managed to put two behind the net, but this is an encouraging development from the team,” he added.
Sabah started the game with three foreign players with Bosnia-Herzegovina Dragic Dalibor marshalling the Rhinos’ backline alongside skipper Rosdin Wasli, Wong Sai Kong on the right and Munir Amran on the left.
Nafuzi Zain orchestrated the midfield together with Jamie, Zulamri Amri Muhammad and Eddie Gapil, while Nigerian striker, Andrew Amakuro, currently on trials with the team started in attack alongside Zainizam Marjan.
According to Rahman, Chow Chee Wing, Azrul Ejati Damsah, Hardy Charles Parsi and another Nigerian striker Gabriel also featured in the game as second-half substitutes.
“Overall, it was quite a competitive game because we played a side that paraded five foreign players,” Rahman said of Persiba, who interestingly is coached by former Sabah coach Peter Butler.
Persiba also paraded ex-Rhino striker Julio Cesar Rodrigues. However, another ex-Rhino Robbie Gaspar did not feature for the team, as he is seeking treatment back in his homeland Australia.
Tonight, Sabah will take on DPMM of Brunei to conclude the tournament.
Rahman said the head coach Drago Mamic is likely to make a minor reshuffle with Jamie likely to sit out the match due to his injury.
