SABAH FC must move past their FA Cup round-of-16 exit against Selangor FC and shift their full focus to tonight’s league match against Brunei DPMM FC at Likas Stadium.
Our opponents are no pushovers. They have improved significantly since last season and are much tougher to beat.
They’ve already proven they can secure crucial results—such as their away win against Penang—so any complacency on our part would be fatal.
While it is their only win in three matches, their defence remains tight. Excluding their three-goal loss to league leaders JDT, they have conceded only one goal in their other two league fixtures.
This proves they will sit compact to frustrate Sabah FC’s attackers. We must capitalize on their low attacking threat, given they have scored just once in three league matches.
I’m definitely a bit worried about our squad depth and fitness. With games coming thick and fast, head coach Juan Torres Garrido’s squad rotation and the impact from the bench will be crucial to keeping everyone match-fit and maintaining that high intensity for all 90 minutes.
If we can just cut out the silly defensive slip-ups and clinicalise our finishes upfront, walking away with all three points at Likas Stadium is well within our grasp!Meanwhile, Sabah FC bowed out of the FA Cup after a narrow 3-4 aggregate defeat to Selangor FC in the round of 16 tie at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Stadium on Wednesday night.
While the result brings heartbreak, Sabah FC players can walk off the pitch with their heads held high after a gritty performance against one of the league’s strongest sides away from home.
It was a match that truly could have gone either way. Both sides played attacking football, creating excellent scoring opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.
Instead of playing defensively away from home, Sabah FC took the game straight to Selangor.
While Park Jung-bin’s opening goal was unfortunately ruled out for offside, he bounced back to score the equalizer early in the second half.
The defining moment of the tie arrived in the 56th minute when the referee awarded a highly debated penalty to Selangor FC—a decision that I felt was incredibly harsh on us.
Selangor’s Chrigor Moraes stepped up to take the spot-kick; although goalkeeper Juan Flere made the initial save, Moraes quickly slotted home the rebound to score the match-winner.
