Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC came from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw with Kuala Lumpur (KL) FC at the Likas Stadium on Friday.
The match faced a 45 minutes delay due to heavy downpour saw both teams struggle to adapt to the slippery pitch when the match finally started at 9pm.
It was an open game and the visitors had more shots on target in the first half but were unable to get past the in-form Damien Lim in goal, while the presence of skipper Dominic Tan, who just returned from injury also played a crucial role to steady the backline.
The breakthrough goal in the 50th minute from KL City was a close-range effort by Safawi Rasid, capitalising on a rebound from Ryan Edward Lee’s initial effort that struck the post.
Sabah FC responded well and hit back in the 67th minute with Ajdin Mujagic levelling the score. His left foot shot came after the ball blocked by KL goalkeeper Quincy Julian Kammeraad from Fergus Tierney’s earlier shot fell onto his path.
The match mirrored their previous meeting in the first-round tie in August, where both teams ended in a 1-1 draw after Sabah FC managed to equalise following an early KL goal.
Alto Linus, who was put in charge of Sabah FC on Friday expressed satisfaction with the performance of his players.
“Overall, we are very satisfied with the players’ performance. They were able to execute their duties well.
“Based on the chances we had, we should have won the game tonight, but this is football and we have to accept the final result,” he said after the match.
Meanwhile, KL City head coach Vidakovic Savic Risto lamented the poor pitch condition which hinted at their normal passing game.
“The pitch was not what we had hoped for. It was too heavy and difficult for us to play passes. “Nonetheless, we did create enough chances to win and I believe we deserved more than just one point,” he said.
Meanwhile, facing champions such as Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) is not merely a test of physical strength, but also demands mental resilience and a high level of consistency, said Negeri Sembilan FC (NSFC) head coach Mohd Nidzam Jamil.
He said following the narrow 0-1 defeat to JDT in the Super League match at Stadium Tuanku Abdul Rahman Paroit, his team gained an important experience that must be used to improve their ability to maintain focus, intensity and control of the game until the final minute.
“Top-level players require strong concentration from minute to minute. At this point, that is the difference between us and JDT. They have gone through a very good development process and are able to maintain the same intensity right until the end of the match,” he said.
“In football, if you do not go through those phases, you will be punished. It is a bitter truth to swallow, but the team needs to learn to become ‘big boys’ in this league,” he told reporters after the match.
Commenting on the players’ level of commitment, Nidzam said his team gave their all and fought until the end of the match.
Meanwhile, Nidzam declined to comment further on the issue of the referee, S. Logeswaran, delaying the final whistle beyond the stipulated seven minutes of added time.
In the match, JDT scored the winning goal in the 98th minute through Manuel Hidalgo.
“I don’t hold the whistle... I’m not sure, maybe the timing was different, everyone’s watch is different, but we need to stay positive.
“It’s not about nine minutes or 10 minutes. The issue is that we must stay focused. We can’t control the referee, we can’t control the environment. The most important thing is how we play, how we control the opponents’ movement and maintain focus throughout the match — that’s the issue.
Commenting on tensions among supporters, Nidzam advised that football should not be turned into a platform for hostility, but instead be celebrated as a sport that unites people.
He also reminded that many supporters attend matches with their children, who observe and judge, and if football is filled with quarrels, it would give a negative image of the sport.
