Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC began their season with a bang by beating PDRM FC 4-0 at Likas Stadium on Saturday night.
Saddil Ramdani scored the opening goal in the 12th minute with a blitzing run after receiving the ball from Telmo Castanheira before shooting past the opposition’s goalkeeper from close range.
The second goal came in the 37th minute when Saddil turned provider with a cross that was headed in by Park Taesu who was given the captain’s armband with Baddrol Bakhtiar starting on bench.
Saddil then added his second in the second half after a fast counter attack move started by him. He received the ball from his own half before passing it to Darren Lok who then delivered a through ball to Kumaahran Sathasivam.
The substitute then lost his balance and was unable to make a clean strike as he charged forward, fortunately Saddil was able to react the quickest by driving the loose ball home before the goalkeeper could make the save. Another substitute Stuart Wilkin put the match beyond doubt when he struck the ball into the back of the net following a cutback from Rizal Ghazali two minutes into injury time.
Despite the impressive result, head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee was quick to warn the players after the match that they must stay focused and not be carried away with the big win.
“This is only the first game and we cannot get too confident. There are many matches ahead and I believe they will not be easy for us.
“To get the three points is a good start but it is more important for us to remain focused and be able to carry out what is needed in the games to come,” he said.
He was also pleased that the team did not lose their momentum with second half substitutions and continued to dominate the match.
“We started our preparation eight weeks ago and there are no first 11 players for me in the team. Those registered are all good enough to start and I hope they will be able to continue to deliver the task as needed.”
Meanwhile, some 13,000 supporters turned up for the match and their next game is also at home against Kelantan United FC on Wednesday (March 1).
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