Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC’s nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end with the 0-4 loss to Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) FC in the Super League clash at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Saturday.
Martin Stano’s boys put up a good fight in the first half to deny the home side any opening and Joao Pedro almost put them ahead in the 33rd minutes after he received a pass from Gary Steven Robbat, but his shot was blocked by the outstretched leg of JDT’s goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi at the far post.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The breakthrough from the home side only came in the second half. Rawilson Batuil, who started the match in place of the suspended Gabriel Peres, committed a foul at the edge of the box and Juan Muniz scored from the resulting free kick.
Another strike by Juan in the 69th minute from a tight angle extended their lead and any chance of a late comeback from Sabah FC was dashed in the 79th minute after Bergson Guatavo converted the spotkick following Park Taesu’s handball.
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Despite the loss, Martin was still pleased with the players’ performance especially in the first half.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“I am still proud of my players despite the defeat. The players performed brilliantly in the first half and they did not give JDT the space to move freely.
“However, JDT started to put more pressure in the second half. Our players were also seen to give them more space and they managed to grab the opportunities to score the goals,” he said.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He also urged the players to put the loss behind them and focus on winning upcoming matches to strengthen their position in the Super League.
Sabah FC are currently third in the table behind JDT and Selangor FC with 29 points from nine wins, two draws and five defeats.
Their next match is the Malaysia Cup semi-final first leg against Sri Pahang at Likas Stadium on January 18 before taking on Negeri Sembilan in the league away on January 25.
