 |
| SABAH STRIKER … Eyo Matthew (all red) being surrounded by Johor MBJB players during their President’s Cup Group A tie at the Likas Stadium yesterday. |
Two second-half goals, one each from Maxsius Musa and Zul Mansshah Aling, were all they needed to see off their opponents.
The hot afternoon sun was a little bit too much to handle for both sides, especially for the visiting MBJB, who looked exhausted towards the end of the tie.
The opening 45 minutes was quite an equally contested tie, but Sabahawks Juniors still looked the better side.
However, they went into the half-time break with the scoreline at 0-0.
When the second half resumed, the Sabahawks Juniors continued with their fine showing, and as the hot afternoon sun took its toll on the visiting MBJB, it was then that Sabah scored the opener through midfielder Maxsius Musa’s 30-metre effort.
It could have been more goals, but poor finishing denied the hosts from extending their lead.
But as the match headed for a slim win for the Sabahawks Juniors, Zul Mansshah struck the second in the 90th minute to eventually make amends for his blunder earlier on.
Zul Mansshah, who came for the injured Sabri Sahar, stole the ball from a tiring defender before slotting past Johor custodian, Amirul Asraf, to seal the victory.
Sabah team manager Juil Nuatim when met shortly after the match was pleased with the team’s performance and admitted that the fitness level of his charges helped them get the better of their opponents.
“The boys put on another fine display of football proving once again that fitness plays a crucial factor in this competition.
“Congratulations to the players and coaches for another job well done.
“Thank you to all the fans who showed up to support us and thank you also to Datuk Jahid Jahim (Assistant Youth and Sports Minister), Datuk Louis Rampas (Sabah Sports Board Chairman) and Datuk Suzannah Liaw (Permanent Secretary to the Youth and Sports Ministry) for taking time to watch us in action.
“I believe their presence helped motivate the boys to give their best performance,” said Juil.
Meanwhile, head coach Johnny Dominicus said: “The players have done well in these first eight matches of the season. They have worked hard tirelessly these past few weeks and they have improved with each game.
“It is now time for them to rest and recover. The match schedule has been quite tight and I think the boys will welcome a change of pace in terms of training.”
For the record, Sabahawks Juniors have won all their home matches (four) thus far.
Sabah will play their next match against Terengganu’s Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, in another home fixture on April 8. They are currently leading the 13-team standings on 20 points.
