Kota Kinabalu: Captain Park Taesu was the hero for Sabah FC as his late goal gave the team a slim 1-0 win over Perak FC in the Super League tie at the Perak Stadium on Sunday.
It was also the team’s fifth consecutive win in all competitions and with the three hard earned points, the Rhinos are only two points adrift of current third place team Kedah FC who lost 0-1 at home to Selangor FC a day earlier.
Sabah FC are now with 51 points while Kedah FC are on 53 points. Both teams are set to play each other in the season finale here at Likas Stadium on December 17 and another home victory will ensure Sabah FC retain their third position achieved last season.
The match on Sunday saw both Sabah FC and Perak FC struggle to play their normal game due to the slippery pitch.
However, Sabah FC were able to pile on the pressure early on and Miguel Cifuentes failed to convert two best scoring chances in the first half.
His first effort was denied by one of the home players while the second saw his header fly over the bar when Perak FC’s goalkeeper T. Shaheeswaran failed to make a clean catch from Saddil Ramdani’s cross.
It was the same story in the second half with no real opening for both teams until Park’s winner in the 85th minute.
A long ball by Gabriel Peres from his own half found Telmo Castanheira at the far post and he headed the ball onto the path of Park who struck home from close range.
Head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee congratulated the players after the match and praised their determination to get the three points.
“Congratulation to the players as they have achieved a positive result under a very difficult situation.”
He said the heavy pitch and the non-stop travelling took a toll on the players as they failed to find their usual rhythm.
“Two factors affected us today. First it was the heavy pitch and the tiredness after three away games before this and not just playing on the opponents ground, but also travelling from places far from each other.
“We needed a very strong mentality and the players showed positive attitude to try to find the goal until the very end.
“They eventually did it and this is a very important win before the final game,” he said.
He added that the players will get the much needed rest after being away from their family members and friends for more than two weeks.
