Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Cebagoo FC were given a footballing lesson by PBAPP FC from Penang who thrashed them 4-0 in their FAM League match at the UMS Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
It was shambolic performance from the home team with their heaviest defeat of the season and coach Razali Zinin was lost for words with the display of the players.
The coach who wanted the team to start in a positive way was instead given a rude shock with the home players deciding to play defensively and within five minutes they were a goal down.
Defender Faisal Aldin was the culprit when he brought down a PBAPP player in the box and M. Prakash made no mistake with his spot kick.
The Penang team increased their lead in the 17th minute and again the guilty party was Faisal who conceded another spot kick by bringing down another player in the box and this time Khairul Azri smashed it in at the far post.
Five minutes later Khalis Ibrahim half volleyed in from close range as the visitors went three-nil up.
The Cebagoo players were hardly in the match with some wayward passing that made the visiting team look superior.
The half-time team talk seemed to work as Cebagoo moved up a gear at the restart with some attacking play and forced a couple of corners before it fizzled out again allowing PBAPP players to take control of the match.
Their fourth goal came in the 64th minute from Zaihisham also from close range after the Cebagoo defence failed to clear the danger.
Razali was furious with the attitude of some of the players and said there was "no spirit, hunger or desire" from the team.
"When the team was three goals down with less than 30 minutes on the clock, instead of mounting an attack and trying to get a goal back, they still preferred to play deep inside their own half and that completely puzzled me."
He said there is nothing more he could do with the team unless Reithudin Ag Emran and Billy Vun Ket Min are back in the team.
"I couldn't understand these players who wanted to play but were reluctant to train and only five turned up in our last training session on Saturday."
"Some of these players are supposed to be professionals and often complained that I didn't give them the chance to play.
Now that I have given them the opportunity, the fans who turned up today can see for themselves how they performed on the pitch."
He said he will have a meeting with the Club's advisor Datuk Mohd Hasnol Ayub on Tuesday and hopefully the two veteran players will return to the squad for the next match.
