New Sabah Times
KOTA KINABALU: Super League side, Melaka United scored twice from the spot as they blanked Tambadau 2-0 in a friendly match at Hang Jebat Stadium on Wednesday.
After a scoreless first half, Tambadau conceded two penalty kicks in the second half with the first coming in the 49th minute while the second three minutes from regulation time.
Despite the defeat, Jelius Ating is satisfied with the performance put up by his charges.
“I’m quite happy … the players did well and they managed to give our Super League opponentS a good fight. In terms of goal-scoring chances, I thought we created better chances than them,” the Tambadau head coach said when contacted yesterday.
“We also managed to keep a clean sheet from open play and only conceded the two goals from penalty kicks,” he added.
According to him, Rodoljub Paunovic, Maxsius Musa and Justin Samaan were all presented with goal-scoring opportunities but failed to finish them off.
But Jelius is not really concerned with the scoreline as he is more particular on how the team take the game, especially against a Super League side.
“I want the players to show the right attitude and want them to take the match as a real game to ensure the team’s good momentum is good and I am happy with what I see,” he said.
The two sides played their second game at the same venue last night, but at press time, full result is still unavailable.
After the clash, Tambadau will take on another Super League side Selangor PKNS FC on Saturday (March 23) before returning home.
– FRANCIS XAVIER
