Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC made it to the semi-final of the FA Cup with a 5-2 aggregate after a 3-1 second leg win over Kelantan The Real Warriors FC at Likas Stadium on Wednesday.
They took the lead in the 10th minute with the goal awarded to Jafri Chew from a looping header following a cross by Fergus Tierney although striker Ajdin Mujagic seemed to have the final touch before it crossed the line.
Stuart Wilkin, making his 100th appearance for Rhinos, then produced a perfect cross 11th minutes later for Ajdin to head home and extend Sabah FC’s lead.
The visitors finished the first half strongly and were rewarded with a headed goal from their Filipino defender Simen Lyngbo in injury time.
Any chances of a comeback by the East Coast side in the second half was dashed in the 56th minute when Ajdin converted a penalty after the ball was judged to have hit Alexander Yeoule’s hand inside the box following a VAR review.
Head coach Jean Paul de Marigny said the strong start paved the way for the convincing victory.
“I thought it was by far the best 20 minutes that we played since I took over the team a month ago.
“The boys played with really good intensity. They won a lot of the contest and they were really brave with the ball so it was very pleasing that way.
“However, we lost our way a little bit after that and the midfield in particular, and the front third press wasn’t there.
“We regrouped at halftime and the response again started really well and created much more opportunities.
“Collectively, we were very good and were difficult to score against,” he said.
He added that the team must build on the momentum and be more consistent.
Sabah FC’s opponents in the semi-final will be Selangor FC who progressed with a 6-3 aggregate win over Negeri Sembilan FC despite losing the second leg 2-3 at home on Wednesday.
