YET another loss for Sabah FC in the Super League. I was rather disappointed that we were beaten 1-2 at our home turf by Selangor FC last Saturday as I had expected us to get at least a point after the convincing win over Kelantan The Real Warriors in the FA Cup quarter-final tie days earlier.
Despite taking a 1-0 lead in just 10 minutes from a Fergus Tierney’s header off a cross from Miguel Cifuentes, I would have thought that the night belonged to Sabah FC.
Alas, it was meant not to be. Instead of improving in our game of play, the team found it difficult to pile on the pressure to find ways to extend the lead.
Selangor FC more or less dominated the game thereafter with Sabah FC more on the back foot.
Our defence caved in just before the breather and allowed them to equalise. Too much space was given for Alvin Mateus Fortes to take a shot at goal.
We paid the price as our players were just not alert inside the box and failed to close down the opposite players on the ball quick enough.
After the breather, the same mistake happened again and this time, we allowed space for Selangor FC skipper Faisal Halim to easily score from close range.
The two goals conceded were simply the result of a loose defensive line which was so easy to penetrate.
Head coach Jean Paul Marigny seemed to be satisfied with his players attitude and said the team is improving in every match.
Whatever he has in mind to build up the team, I really hope it can materialise soon.
We need a winning result quickly and we don’t want this team to keep losing and still chasing our first win of the season after eight games.
I do understand the coach’s predicament in choosing the best 11 players with the lack of depth in the team, especially with some injury problems to key players that he is facing now.
I am very concerned about Gabriel Perez, who is deeply missed in defence and also the hardworking Darren Lok.
Their absence obviously contributed to the poor results. The two have been away for a long while now, I just hope they can recover soon to beef up the team.
With the latest defeat, we are now back to second last place in the league with only four points from four draws and four losses.
Let’s hope the players can recover fast from this latest setback and focus fully on the FA Cup semi-final first leg tie against Selangor FC again here at Likas Stadium on November 9.
