Rahman heads Sabah into semis
Published on: Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Kuching: Justin Ganai's boys defied the odds at the Sarawak State Stadium on Tuesday as they avenged their defeat to Johor in the previous Sukma with a handsome 2-0 victory in the quarterfinal of the Sukma Games.Rahman Shah Marajeh, who was given his first start in the competition, repaid the faith from the bench with two headed goals in each half to power his team into the semi-final against the winners of the Sarawak versus Perak quarterfinal match played late on Tuesday night.His first header came in the 8th minute from a corner following his earlier shot which was pushed out by the Johor keeper.
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Johor with several internationals in the team were in full control in the opening half with their superior skill.Sabah only opted for the long ball tactic and despite the intense pressure by their opponents, the players stood firm and there were few chances created by the Johor players.The recall of Randy Baruh also paid dividends as he cut off all the threats posed by the Johor players.The second half was in similar fashion with Johor unable to make their superiority count and they paid a heavy prize in the 81st minute as their players tried hard to find the equaliser.
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The nippy Devid Ansarui, who was unable to make his usual darting run on the left, finally broke loose from his marker to deliver a cross from the byline which was met by Rahman for his second goal.The match turned ugly minutes later when Johor captain Mohd Zul Fadlisham Roseland kicked and threw punches on Devid and was subsequently red carded by the referee.
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