SABAH FC only managed to earn one point following the 1-1 draw with Kuala Lumpur FC in the Super League match at the Likas Stadium last Friday.
It was not a very good result considering we were playing on our home turf with the support of the fans. I had expected the team to snatch the three vital points to strengthen our third place position in the table.
On the match itself, I was a bit surprised that it was allowed to be staged following the heavy downpour in the evening.
It was flooded with water and despite a two-hour delay before starting the game, I thought the pitch condition was still not up to mark for a competitive match.
As a result, both teams had to rewrite their script and struggled to adapt to the wet and soaky conditions. Whatever tactics both teams had in mind before the game were completely thrown out of the window.
The players also had to re-fire up their engines after the long wait and when the game was finally cleared to start after 9pm, it took only seven minutes for Sabah FC to take the lead through S.Kumaahran’s header.
As the pitch got worse by the minutes, it was becoming more difficult to score with the surface almost like a puddle.
It was a good one-goal advantage and a good cushion for Sabah FC at the break. However, Kuala Lumpur FC came out stronger than us in the second half. They had created many chances to score but fortunately were not clinical enough.
With their more positive approach, we were on the back foot most times and looked like just wanting to stay afloat with the one goal lead until the final whistle.
Alas, it was not meant to be when Muhd Haqimi Azim Rosli managed to beat Park Taesu in the six-yard box and fired home the equaliser in the 81st minute. It was a well deserved goal as they had been knocking on the door a long time and finally received their reward.
Sabah FC nearly snatched a last gasp winner when Stuart Wilkin’s close range shot was brilliantly saved by the Kuala Lumpur FC custodian in the dying minutes of added time.
In the end both teams had to settle for the share of points. Despite the disappointment, we should be glad that we did not lose and still managed to get the point. We also have to thank Kuching City FC for getting a draw with our closest rivals Terengganu FC on the same night.
