Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

Kota Kinabalu: Nurul Azurin Mazlan’s heroic display in goal at Likas Stadium on Wednesday earned Sabah FC a precious  point in the goalless draw with APF FC in the Group C tie of the AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) 2024 qualifiers.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper made some crucial saves right from the first minute to deny the Nepali side multiple attempts at goal throughout the match.

The visitors looked the stronger side and were surprisingly more adapted to the soaked pitch due to the heavy downpour on the night.

Their passes were spot on and had more of the ball possessions but the Sabah FC defence led by skipper Steffi Sarge Kaur stood their ground well.

APF FC were also twice denied by the crossbar with the first from a Preeti Rai’s strike in the 11th  minute and the second from Amisha Karki in the 74th minute.

Nurul Azurin, who was named player of the match, played down her role and credited her teammates for the hard fought draw.

“Thank you for the domination. It was a team effort and not just mine. Everyone has given their very best for today’s match and I think everyone should be named player of the match,” she said.

She also thanked the 3,000 odd fans who came to the stadium to give their support despite the bad weather.

“It was crazy to see so many turn up for a women’s match. It was also amazing to play an international match in our own country in front of our beloved Sabahan fans.

“I would like to send my regards to all our Sabahan fans for coming and I would like to see you again in our next game.’

Meanwhile, head coach Justin Ganai said it was a fair result for both teams.

“It was an even match and no doubt APF FC had more scoring opportunities but thanks to Azurin for saving the situation.

“Our preparation was not good enough. We only have about 10 days to train as a team and the chemistry is obviously not there yet.

“We collectively made a lot of mistakes with some stray passes to put us under pressure. However, I believe we have played our best under the circumstances and hopefully we can improve further in the next match,” he said.

Sabah FC are to play PFC Nasaf next on Saturday (August 31). The Uzbekistan side had earlier defeated APF FC 1-0 in their opening match.

Justin said it will be a tough task and hope luck will be on their side.

“They are a very strong side with 11 top players. It is very difficult to identify their weaknesses but we will try our best and who knows we may get lucky.”