Kota Kinabalu: Sabah defeated Brunei Selection 4-0 in their first friendly match held at the Penampang Stadium on Wednesday.
The heavy downpour in the afternoon almost caused the pitch impossible to play and Aussie hitman Michael Baird seemed to suffer the most with the slippery pitch and was unable to show his mettle.
The state Super League team started the match with another Aussie import Brandan Gan in the midfield together with Rozaimi Rahman, Radzi Mohd Hussin, and Shahrul Azhar Ture.
The foursome were in total control of the game as the visiting team was unable to make any strike towards the home goal.
Sabah was clearly on top throughout the match but the appalling condition limited their chances and they only managed one clear shot at goal through a Sumardi Hajalan free kick in the 35th minute that hit the post and Bobby Gozalez was unable to convert the rebound.
When the rain finally stopped during the break, the host started the second half in lighting fashion and Bobby headed in the first goal in the 47 minutes from a corner kick taken by Rozaimi Rahman.
However, it wasn't until the decision by Justin to make the changes in the last 20 minutes that saw Sabah increased their lead through three of their substitutes.
Former Sime Darby player Shahrudin Yaakub put the team two up in the 75th minute and a minute later another new signing Juffry Omopor showed how deadly he could be despite his size as he dribbled into the penalty area before placing his shot into the net.
Another substitute Razlan Oto scored the fourth goal for the team two minutes later.
The two teams will meet again at the same venue on Friday.
Meanwhile, the State team will be playing another friendly match against the State President Cup team today at the Intan Institute's football field in Sepanggar Bay.
