KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tambadau got off to a1-2 defeat byJDT II in the season opener at Likas Stadium on Saturday night. Former player Rozaimi Rahman inflicted misery for the home fans when he came off the bench in the second half to score the winner from a free kick in the 82nd minutes. Sabah with their three foreign imports in the first 11 had a bright start when they took a 1-0 lead after new signing Luka Milunovic from Serbia made a dream debut with a 13th minutes goal.
The player all played well in the 4-2-3-1 formation in the first half with the support of the home fans but were unable to take their chances to extend their lead despite their dominance. The missesproved to be costlyas JDT II came out fighting in the second half and their relentless attacks finally paid off in the 62nd minutes with a quickly taken free kick , whichsaw Mohd Ghaddar escaped his markers to head in from close range for the equaliser.
They continued to press for the winner that resulted in the free kick being given just outside the box where Rozaimi had no problem to put it past the hapless Rozaimie in goal Luka had a chance to snatch a late equaliser in the added minutes beforethe final whistle but he failed to made a clean shot from close range and JDT II goal keeper had an easy task tograb from him.
Sabah next game is against Kelantan at Stadium Sultan Muhammad IV in Kota Bharu next Friday (February 8). Meanwhile, some fans were disappointed when Sabah Rhinos’ banners that were put up in the stadium were asked to put down by Police personnel in the first half. They argued that they have been displaying it during Sabah home matches for years and even during the Sabah Hawks period where they did not face any problem by then management.
