New Sabah Times
By UMESH RAJAN
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s head coach, Jelius Ating rues the missed chances as his team were sent packing from this season’s FA Cup competition by amateur side, Kelantan United FC at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bahru on Wednesday.
The Tambadau were given a surprise by their lower tier M3 League opponents during the tie as Fakhrul Zaman Wan Zawawi’s sixth-minute free kick was enough to settle the second round tie.
When contacted, Jelius said the failure to beat Kelantan United FC was a big mistake as his players failed to take advantage of the many scoring opportunities presented during the match.
“Under normal circumstances, we could have won this match without any problem, especially since we controlled majority of the ball possession throughout the match.
“Yet I found that the players easily lost their confidence and focus, especially our attacking guys who had many opportunities to score but wasted each one every time.
“Nevertheless, I accept this defeat with an open heart and some weaknesses shown from certain parts of the team will be improved after this in preparation for the next match,” he said.
Sabah fielded their strongest starting eleven which included all four import players but the absence of influential midfielder Sabri Sahar, who will be out of action for at least six months, affected the team’s attacking fluidity.
The Tambadau need to rectify their problems before their next match in the Premier League against Selangor United on Saturday at the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang Stadium in Selangor.
